


Beautiful Evolution

by CountingWithStraws



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Historical, M/M, Magical Realism, Slow Burn, sort of.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:22:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 38,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26501344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CountingWithStraws/pseuds/CountingWithStraws
Summary: As the human race finally ends a centuries long war, Lieutenant Colonel Levi Ackerman expects to spend his remaining days with his men cleaning up the battlefields and then eventually work towards keeping the peace they fought so hard for. What he does not expect is to receive a letter summoning him back to the Kingdom of Sina & to a home he's never known. Now the Lord of Ackermanshire, Levi is thrown into a world filled with the Wild Kin--begins that belong in story books. And what the bloody hell is this about him being an alpha?As the last surviving member of Clan Jaeger, Eren will do everything in his power to keep the Wild Kin of Ackermanshire safe, even if that means disguising himself as a human woman to hide from the draft. The human's war is over now, but that means very little to him. His territory is still in danger from the surrounding clans and on top of it all, they now have a new Lord Ackerman--& why does this human smell so deliciously like an alpha?
Relationships: Levi/Eren Yeager
Comments: 123
Kudos: 179





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note of clarification: this is set when humanity is evolving into having alphas, betas, & omegas. Other--supernatural--races have this dynamic, though. & there are dates, but it's an AU, so they're not based off of our realistic history. In my head this is set in a sort of English Regency/Victorian/Edwardian sort of time period, though.

> “Thus, from the war of nature, from famine and death, the most exalted object which we are capable of conceiving, namely, the production of the higher animals, directly follows. There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.”
> 
> -Charles Darwin, _The Origin of Species_

**Beautiful Evolution**

**May 1863**

A low whistle filled the silent night. It grew louder and louder until the blackened sky lit up in a barrage of colour and the earth shook. The centuries long war came to an end, but humanity was not the same as it once was. How could they ever go back when they had unknowingly evolved passed what they once were? The war had taken so many lives, for centuries they had kill each other like savages. Those born to it had been bred for war, bred to survive, bred to quicken the arrival of the next generation.

Yet now that life was over, the war was over.

Lieutenant Colonel Levi Ackerman set down the notarized letter and stepped out of his tent. The smell of death and sulfur hung in the air like a travelling prostitute’s perfume and the thick clouds left no room for the sun, yet it was as hot and humid as a hellfire sauna. The humidity made the old wounds ache and his culottes stick uncomfortably to his skin.

He watched as his men roamed the battlefield, cloths tied to their faces, as they scoured the ruined city for any remnants of humanity unaccounted for. The men looked like no more than ghosts, faces haunted and deadened. If this was what victory looked like, it didn’t look much different than defeat.

Turning, he walked over to the general’s tent, propped up between two crumbling buildings. He didn’t knock or ask for entry as he should have. General Erwin Smith far outranked him in more than just military hierarchy, but after spilling so much blood together, proper etiquette seemed to slip to the wayside.

The blonde general looked up from his own paperwork. His stunning blue eyes immediately narrowed as he read the lieutenant colonel like a well-worn, old book. “What happened?”

“I’ve been called back,” Levi said neutrally. His voice was low, but it displayed none of the annoyance raging inside. This was utterly ridiculous. Why did he have to go back? The war may technically be over, but there were still vastly more important things to do here. He was an officer, a trained solider. What the hell did he know about sheep and cabbages?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I don't fully know where I'm going with this, so feel free to make suggestions. ^-^


	2. Welcome to Ackermanshire

**September 1863**

Eren hopped down from his horse, Titan, and shook out his calico skirts before leading the beautiful draft horse into the stable. The brute was a stubborn, picky bastard, but Eren loved him nonetheless. He fed Titan a sugar cube from his pocket, and then handed the horse off to Connie, the stable boy, before hurrying through the side door and into the kitchens.

Even though the sun had barely fully risen, there was still so much to do, and he was already so bloody tired. Not only did he have the normal day-to-day operations to oversee, but they were preparing for the harvest, half the village had contracted the flu—which is why he spent all of yesterday and the entire night at the village—and on top of it all their new master was to arrive any day now. Hanging his woolen shall on the hook by the door, Eren made his way over to Sasha.

“Has Mikasa gone over the lists with you?” Eren asked the flour covered cook.

“Maybe?” Sasha said as she flipped a ball of bread dough over and continued kneading it. “She came in a moment ago, but then a runner rushed in. She threw some paper at me and hurried out.”

Eren went over to the paper Sasha gestured to with her head and looked down at it. It was the meal lists he had given Mikasa after he had been called to the village. She was supposed to discuss it with Sasha yesterday so they would have adequate time to prepare. Laying his head exhaustedly on the table, he sighed heavily and held it up to Sasha so she could see it. “You were supposed to get this yesterday. Is there anything on the list we don’t have? The master will want a proper meal upon his arrival.”

“No apples,” Sasha said in a huff. “No fruits of any kind.”

Eren nodded and set the list down as he dragged himself off of the table. “I’ll have someone run to the Fitzpatrick’s then. Thank you, Sasha.”

Leaving the kitchen, Eren entered the hall. Servants rushed too and fro in a buzzing of panic. He grabbed a servant girl, no older than six and halted her as she went to pass him.

“Marie, run down to the Fitzpatrick’s for me and get a basket of apples,” he said as he pulled a few coins out of the small leather satchel that was tied around his waist.

“But Lord Ackerman is nearly here!” she whined.

Eren’s eyes widened and he cursed. “All the more reason for you to hurry. Now, off with you, child, Sasha needs those apples.”

“Aye, milard.” Little Marie pouted, but nodded and took the coins before running off.

Rushing over the estate’s butler, Eren grabbed Mikasa’s arm and spun her around. “Please tell me he’s not about to arrive!?”

Mikasa, dressed as impeccably as always in her neat, black butler’s uniform accented in Clan Jaeger’s colours of blue and white, picked a stray leaf from Eren’s hair and then patted the housekeeper’s head. “Don’t worry, you’re a good omega.”

Eren huffed and pulled from her hand. “How close is he?”

“He’ll be around the bend any moment now.”

With a dreadful whine, Eren grabbed her wrist and lead her out the front door as he called for Sasha to hurry it along. The servants were lining up outside, readying to welcome their new master home. There weren’t many live-in servants, far too few for an estate this large, but Eren had employed some of the villagers’ children who had been struggling financially. In the end, they formed a rag-tag line of namely teenagers and children, with the oldest being himself at three and twenty.

Levi peaked out of the carriage window as it came around the bend and the forest opened up, revealing a large expanse of property and Ackerman Castle. The castle in question was nearly a thousand years old, but looked well kept, despite the sprawling autumn roses growing up the side of it. Originally designed as a defensive fort built at the base of a fog-cloaked mountain, once entitled the estate and surrounding lands became known as Ackermanshire and the Ackermans had spent centuries building onto it until it became a grand castle and the embodiment of the Ackerman name.

As the carriage came to a halt, Levi kicked the steps down and hopped out before the servants were able to step forward to open the door for him. The jolt annoyed his stiff leg, but he didn’t show it. Instead he shot the pair of servants a look and they quickly scurried back into line.

Ignoring most of the servants—which was surprisingly few and extraordinarily young—Levi searched for the Ackerman’s butler who stood in the center of the line, but his eyes locked onto the peculiarly tall woman next to the strangely effeminate looking butler. The woman was covered from head to toe in grime and her hair, which had likely once been pulled back into a respectable bun, fell about her ears and carried twigs and other bit of shrubbery.

Marching over to the woman, Levi stared up at her. “Who the devil are you?”

The woman’s mesmerizing teal eyes looked defiantly down at him, emphasizing their height difference of several inches. She bowed slightly before speaking in a surprisingly rough voice. “I am Eren, milord. Your housekeeper.”

Levi raised a thin eyebrow at that. “My housekeeper? You are a representation of me, yet you present yourself as such?”

“My lord, please excuse Eren-”

“Was I talking to you?” Levi snapped, turning to the butler. “I don’t know how my grandfather ran this place, but it is obvious you are sorely lacking.”

“We are indeed lacking, sir,” the housekeeper snapped. “We are lacking in proper medical supplies for your dying villagers, in horses to plow your crops and men tend them, in basic building materials to repair your people’s houses, and in funds to pay your beloved grandfather’s taxes. But do not worry, Lord Ackerman, we are not yet lacking in soap!” The housekeeper practically growled and then turned on her heel. “Mikasa, please show Lord Ackerman to his rooms.”

Levi watched as the housekeeper march back into the castle with her angular chin held high. Of all the preposterous—he had never seen a woman show such utter disrespect before, and yet Levi found he wasn’t angry in the slightest. In fact, for the first time in his life, Levi Ackerman was legitimately turned on by another person.

“Please forgive Eren,” the butler hurried to say, moving between Levi and the delicious view of Eren’s swaying buttocks. “The villagers are sick and Eren got called into town yesterday morning. Eren only just got back a few minutes ago.”

Levi raised an eyebrow at that. “Why would sick villagers need my housekeeper?”

“Eren is Ackermanshire’s only healer,” the butler said.

“And manager,” another servant chimed in.

“And accountant.”

“And border patrol-”

“I see,” Levi cut in before the servants told him that Eren did absolutely everything on the estate. Turning back to his new butler, he said, “Where are my rooms, mister…?”

“Miss Mikasa,” the butler said, turning on her heel. “You’ll find that the majority of your servants and those tending your lands are female.”

Levi followed after her, thankful for her brisk, no-nonsense pace, though his leg was likely to disagree. “And why is that?”

“Because your grandfather thought the men would make better cannon fodder than workers.”

He had nothing to say to that. It wasn’t unheard of—the nobility gifting their servants to the military in order to gain more favour with the king. Between that and the war there had been a severe decrease in the population. Not enough children were being born because of the discrepancy between the number of men in relation to the number of women. At the rate they were going, it was believed that the human race would reach the point of no return within this very century and be extinct before the millennia was over.

As they reached the top of a third flight of stairs, Levi had to fight with every step not to limp. Why the bloody hell were his rooms so high up? He did not survive a lifetime at war only to be killed by the walk from his front door to his bedroom.

“Are there no closer, suitable rooms?” Levi snapped as they entered a private wing secured by a set of heavy doors.

“None in the front of the house, sir,” Mikasa said as she easily unlatched and pushed the doors open.

“And in the back?”

“Destroyed by the fire.”

They stopped in front of another door, this one baring the Ackerman family crest.

“What fire?” Levi asked. There had been no mention of a fire in the brief history he had been given about the estate.

Mikasa’s eyes met his. “The one your grandfather set in the servants’ quarters when they refused the draft.” She stepped back, bowing her head respectfully. “These are your rooms, milord.”

Levi stilled at that, his eyes widened slightly. “I beg your pardon?”

“Your rooms-”

“No, not that,” he interrupted. “My grandfather set fire to his own castle?”

The butler didn’t even flinch at the hostility in his voice, instead her dark eyes met his unwaveringly. “Not the castle, sir, he set fire to the servants.”

“What?” Levi’s eyes widened, his jaw dropping.

Mikasa took a step closer to him, invading his space, her eyes never leaving his. “You appear to be genuinely shocked, and since I promised Eren I’d give you a chance, I’ll let you in on something you’d do well to realize quickly: in the eyes of the king you may own this land, Lord Ackerman, but since the beginning the people who work it bow to no one but Lard Jaeger.”

With a click of her teeth, the butler walked passed him, clipping his shoulder as she went. Levi watched her with a frown as she slipped through the double doors just as his valet, Major Farlan Church, entered. His obscenely tall valet raised an eyebrow at the butler, but said nothing until he stood before Levi.

“For some reason, I feel as if we are in a more hostile territory than the one we left, Lieutenant Colonel,” Farlan said.

“It seems we are, Major. It indeed seems we are.”


	3. Dear Sir, You Smell of Alpha

Eren sank beneath the rushing water, reveling in the feel of it wrapping around his body and then pushing passed. Bathing in this part of the river wasn’t particularly safe, but his sore muscles needed the massaging pressure from the rapids and there were rare plants nearby that he had wanted to gather. He also needed to get his mind off of Lord Ackerman’s scent and bathing in the rapids took enough concentration to do just that.

Unfortunately, lying down to dry on the sun-warmed rocks did not, and the memory of that delicious scent came flooding back. All species carried a unique undertone to their scents, defining what they were. Humans, like the Ackermans, typically had very subtle scents, diluted from centuries of disconnect from the earth, and their pheromones only ever singled them out as male or female. Lord Ackerman’s wasn’t like that. It was a heavy, musky scent, woody and earthy, and it made Eren think of the exhilarating freedom he felt when on the hunt. Definitely an alpha’s scent.

It had immediately put Eren on edge and made him feel warm and needy. He had wanted to tear off his clothing, bow down, and present himself. He instinctually knew that Lord Ackerman would be a good alpha, a strong alpha, with his sharp, arrogant eyes, his wicked, condescending tongue, and the obvious pull of his well defined muscles under that tan frock coat.

“Am I interrupting?”

Eren yelped. Quickly pulling his hand from his half-aroused cock, he turned onto his belly and glared at the druid priest. With a heavy sigh, he said, “No, you’re not.”

Armin held up Eren’s chemise. “I heard your meeting with Lord Ackerman did not go well.”

“That would be putting it lightly.” Taking the chemise, Eren slipped it over his head before donning the rest of his dress. The truth was that he hated women’s clothing. It was far too heavy and constricting, but he would never complain about it. Keeping Clan Jaeger safe and whole was far more important than wearing a pair of breeches.

“Is he as dreadful as his grandfather?” Armin inquired.

Eren immediately shook his head, his instincts telling him to defend the newest Lord Ackerman, but he really had no words for the defense. He couldn’t very well say it was because Lord Ackerman smelled nice. Instead he said, “We just got off to a bad footing. I had just returned from the village, and I’m afraid looked a fright.”

“Of course you did, you’re a bloody wolf!” Armin laughed. “Your kind aren’t known for looking less than wild.” Armin gave Eren a cheeky smile, which earned him a glare in return.

“It doesn’t matter. I doubt he’ll stay for long. None of the Ackermans ever have,” Eren said matter-of-factly. In the old stories the Ackermans had worked the land alongside Clan Jaeger and protected these sacred lands from the tyrant king who had forced their ‘wild kin’ to unite with the more ‘civilized folk’ of the Kingdom of Sina. Yet, as far as Eren knew, the last several generations of Ackermans found home in the bustling City of Trost. He pushed down a whimper at the thought of Lord Ackerman leaving Ackermanshire for Trost.

“I suppose you have a point.” Armin sighed, but then immediately perked up. “Until then, let’s see if he’d be willing to at least lower our taxes or fund for some repairs. I’ve already prepared a number of arguments for it.”

Eren rolled his eyes and smiled. “Is that why you’re here, to wrangle money out of some pour, unsuspecting human? Some druid you are.”

“N-no!” Armin stuttered with a heavy blush and then looked away as if he had been caught in some devilish scheme. “Well, I figured I might as well try since I would be at the castle any way, or did you forget what tonight was?”

Eren looked away from Armin’s pointed look and let his shoulders sag. No, he did not forget—like his body would ever let him. Tonight, and for the next three nights whilst the moon was at its fullest, Eren’s body would beg to be bred. Perhaps that was why he had reacted so sharply to Lord Ackerman’s scent, though it was still a strange scent for a human to have.

Grumbling, Eren headed back toward the castle and gestured for the druid to follow. He really didn’t know why his body insisted on going through this every month. He understood that he was an omega wolf and that it was all just instinct, but couldn’t his body realise that there were no other wolves left in Clan Jaeger? No wolves meant no alphas to mate with, so the whole point of going through a heat every month was moot.

The two wild kin talked comfortably as the old friends made their way through the steep forest. Outside of the few plots of farmland, the land here was jagged and dangerous for those unaccustomed to mountainsides and sudden cliffs. It was what made Jaeger territory so appealing to the wild kin and so unappealing to the ‘civilized humans.’ Horses couldn’t even travel off the path, they were too likely to break a leg or their rider’s neck.

Still, it was a home Eren never wanted to give up and one he had a deep connection with. He had been taken from their territory once as a pup, and he would never forget the terrible void he had felt as soon as they crossed the border. Their land was sacred, it was blessed, and when Eren could no longer feel that connection to the earth it had been incredibly painful.

A soft breeze brushed through the woods. It shook the leafy canopy and made the trees dance. Eren smiled at the sound of nature’s music and at the soft, laughter of the woodland spriggans. Both he and Armin paused in their chatter to quietly brush their hands against the rough bark of the trees as they walked. The show of respect and the connection with nature appeased the spriggans and they were allowed to continue without any mischief.

“How are you feeling?” Armin asked once he was sure the spriggans had gone on their way.

“Tired,” Eren answered truthfully. There was no point in lying to the druid, they had known each other for far too long and Armin had been there for him through most of his heats. “But I’m sure with your draft I’ll be good as new in three nights’ time.”

Armin frowned at that. “You’re three and twenty, now. Don’t you think we ought to find you a mate? I doubt it’s good for you to be sleeping through your heats.”

“And risk another clan taking over Jaeger territory?” Eren snarled at that. “I think not. No alpha would willingly mate me if they couldn’t be pack leader.”

Armin stopped at the base of a thick tree, its roots spiraled off a small cliff to form a tiny cave. “But without an alpha you cannot produce an heir, and then what? What will happen to Clan Jaeger when there are no Jaegers left to lead it?”

“You could,” Eren said nonchalantly as he kept walking. They had had this conversations a thousand times, making it a thousand and one wasn’t going to change a thing. Wolves only lived about as long as humans, which gave him plenty of time to find an heir if he couldn’t convince the druid to do it. Though, Armin’s compassion and strategic nature really made him the best candidate in Eren’s mind. It also didn’t hurt that druids lived a few hundred years on average.

“I am not a Jaeger,” Armin argued weakly, but it fell on deaf ears. He knew Eren wouldn’t continue this conversation further and he risked aggravating a wolf on the eve of a full moon if he pushed too much. Wolves were emotional by nature; they felt everything fully and without a filter. This was doubly so during the full moon when their hormones ran much more rampant in an attempt to breed.

Sighing, Armin hurried to catch up to the pack leader and intertwined their arms. They walked together in silence the rest of the way to the castle.

Lord Ackerman’s first line of business, after tending to his leg in private, was to find his grandfather’s study. He had left Farlan to see to unpacking his things, not that he had much, and then go socialize with the other servants. After Miss Mikasa’s warning, he wasn’t sure the servants would willingly tell him much, especially if they had a dislike of the Ackerman name. He also would wager that here his military personality would hinder him more than help. Farlan was far more sociable and would be able to get a better lay of how things worked around here.

The problem Levi was facing with his plan, however, was that he had no idea where his grandfather’s study was, nor where the hell he currently found himself within the castle, and with so few servants the chances of finding one to direct him before sundown was neigh impossible. He groaned as he found yet another empty room.

“Why the bloody hell are there so many empty rooms in this damned castle?” he grumbled under his breath.

“Because I sold the furniture to purchase necessities for the village.”

Levi spun around and came face to face with the housekeeper. She was dressed neatly in a white and blue tartan dress and her chestnut hair was pulled back in a tight bun. There wasn’t a single piece of shrubbery in sight. “Mrs. Eren, what are you doing here?”

“Just Eren, please,” she said with a soft smile. “Your valet was correct, Lord Ackerman, you do indeed appear to be quite lost.”

Levi blushed softly at that and cleared his throat. “I’m not lost, merely getting a lay of the land.”

“Of course, milord. You wish to look at the books, correct?”

“Yes. It appears that things are vastly different here than I had been lead to believe.”

Eren’s smile thinned, but she didn’t further comment on the matter. Turning on her heel, Eren led him back down the corridor he had just come through. “This way, milord.”

“Where are we going?” Levi asked as he rushed to follow. A sharp pain shot through his leg, but he ignored it.

Eren paused and looked back at him. “Everything all right, milord?”

“I’m fine,” Levi said through clenched teeth.

She quirked a thick eyebrow at that and quickly looked him up and down.

“What?” Levi snapped when the housekeeper’s eyes lingered on his right leg longer than he’d like.

Her teal eyes flickered back up to his before she shrugged and continued on her way. “I’m taking you to see the books, milord. Is that not what you were after?”

“It is.” Levi followed, silently grateful that she appeared to have slowed her pace just enough for him to keep up without putting unnecessary strain on his leg. Though, how she had noticed at all annoyed him. He had had the injury for years now and the only one who had ever noticed was Erwin, but that busybody noticed everything so Levi didn’t really count him.

Eren led Levi through the castle, occasionally pointing out rooms of interest, though there appeared to be very few. Most of the castle seemed to be empty. Yet, even without furnishings the rooms were all well kept. There wasn’t a speck of dust or hint of dirt to be found. When they had reached the castle’s central tower, Levi paused and glared at the long, spiraling staircase leading upward. By God, he loathed stairs.

“Would you like me to bring the books down to you?” Eren asked.

Levi turned his glare to the housekeeper, but there had been no pity in her voice or judgment in her eyes, so he let it fall. Stubbornly, he shook his head and began the long, arduous climb up the damned stairs. “Why is my grandfather’s study in a defensive tower?”

“It’s not, but the books are,” Eren said simply and offered no further explanation.

By the time they reached the top even she was covered in a thin layer of sweat, though her breathing remained as unlabored as ever. Levi, on the other hand, needed to take a moment to catch his breath. At six and thirty he was by no means out of shape, but his damned leg…

“Come. It’s not much farther and then you can look at the books.”

Levi watched Eren pull out a heavy ring of keys and unlock the only door at the top of the tower. Following her through it, they entered a large circular room with glass windows all around it. The windows had been thrown open, allowing the warm autumn breeze to blow the thick coverings. For the size of the room, it was a cramped space, filled with drying herbs and piles upon piles of books. A desk was next to the door, buried beneath papers, scrolls, and jars filled with God knows what, and on the other side of the room was a small hearth with a pile of pillows and furs on the floor before it.

“Where are we?” Levi asked as he looked about the room.

“My room,” Eren said, walking over to a locked cabinet. “How far back would you like?”

“Are you an imbecile?” he snapped. Levi was flabbergasted. Her room!? The woman had allowed him into her bedroom as if it was nothing!?

Eren looked over her shoulder and blinked owlishly. “I beg your pardon, sir?”

“I’m a man!”

It took her a moment, but then her features softened and she laughed. The sound was deep and earthy and it sent a shiver straight to Levi’s cock. “Oh, that,” she said, waving it off with her hand. “You’ve no reason to fear, milord. I’ve no intention of taking your virtue.”

“It’s not my virtue you should be worried about!” Levi spluttered.

She smiled at that and opened the cabinet. “How far back in the books would you like to go, milord?”

“How can you ignore the impropriety of the situation, madam?”

“Because there is none,” Eren said as she leaned against the open cabinet, which was filled with leather-bound books. “Now, do you want to look at the books or not?”

Levi bristled at that and marched over to the stupid woman. It didn’t matter that she was several inches taller than him, he was still a man and a well trained soldier at that. Grabbing her by the shoulders he slammed her against the cabinet, books fell to the floor and Eren’s beautiful eyes blew wide.

“Don’t doubt my capabilities, madam,” he snarled.

“Eren,” she practically mewed as her eyes fell to half-mast and the tension shifted between them. Suddenly, Levi could feel a warm pull coming from her. A desperate need began to bubble in the pit of his stomach and he was overcome with a sense that they weren’t close enough.

Levi blinked slowly, his mind fogging over with a hazy lust. “What?”

“My name,” she whispered as her hands found his hips and she pulled him closer. “Don’t call me madam or miss or any other such nonsense. My name is Eren.”

“I know what your name is,” he murmured. He could feel the heat coming off of her, the untamed desire, it pulled him in like a siren’s song.

“Then say it,” she whispered, her lips a hair’s breath from his.

Levi looked into those shimmering eyes, neither truly blue nor green, but a mesmerizing mix of both. Those eyes were filled with so much emotion—the hunger and lust were obvious, but Levi saw more than that, he saw a teasing mirth and a deep loneliness that mirrored his own, a melancholy that had long since entrenched itself into a soul that knew only how to project the opposite, and the exhaustion of someone who had bore a responsibility far greater than themselves for far too long.

Reaching up to cup her cheek, Levi opened his mouth to speak her name, but it never came out.

“EREN!” a sharp shrill sounded and Levi sprang away. With a heavy blush he turned to the intruder and was met with a blonde man in a green priest’s robe.

Eren made a strange growl-like sound and moved to an open window, the distance gave Levi a bit of clarity. “Lord Ackerman merely came for the books.”

“I could have collected them for him,” the priest said sternly, and then focused his attention on Levi. With a polite bow, he said, “I am Armin Arlert, the priest of Ackermanshire.”

Collecting himself, Levi straightened his cravat and turned to the priest, though it was hard to ignore his awareness of the woman behind him or his annoyance at the priest for seemingly blaming Eren for the impropriety of the situation. Levi had been the one pinning her to the cabinet. He was the man in the woman’s bedroom. He should be the one at fault, yet Levi was also in unknown, possibly hostile territory, so he needed to tread carefully. The priest was also not doing anything particularly rude toward Eren, so Levi would let the unsaid accusation slide for now.

He offered his hand to shake. “Lieutenant Colonel Levi Ackerman. Father Arlert-”

“Please, just Armin,” the priest said as he shook Levi’s hands with both of his. “We do not go by such formalities around here. Now, if you’ll be needing any books or records, I can collect them for you. Eren, here, appears to be coming down with the village’s illness and we wouldn’t want you getting sick, milord.”

Levi looked behind him at the housekeeper. It was true that her cheeks were quite flushed and her hands had felt awfully hot against his hips, even with the layers of clothing between them. Yet her eyes, which she kept trained firmly out the window as the sun set, had spoken a much different story a moment ago. Turning back to the priest, Levi said, “I see. Well, I’ll be needing all of the books.”

Armin’s brows rose at that. “All of them, milord?”

“All of them. If I’m to run this place, I ought to know every last detail about it,” Levi said firmly. “I’ll start with the most recent, however.”

“So you will be remaining in Ackermanshire, then?” the priest asked hopefully.

Levi nodded. He didn’t see why not. As a man of the military he had spent his life travelling from one battlefield to the next. It wasn’t like he had any other place to go home to now that he was legally bound by title to these lands.

“That is wonderful news, sir! Then, that being the case, there is so much I wish to discuss with you-”

“Here,” Eren snapped, interrupting Armin and slamming a leather journal into Levi’s chest with enough force to bruise. He quickly grabbed it before it fell to the ground and watched as she walked over to a bookcase filled with bottles of various sizes and shapes.

Levi frowned as he saw her hands shake, knocking over a bottle or two as she went to grab another. An intense worry shot through him and he was across the room in half a step. Gently turning her, Levi saw that her brow was covered in a thick layer of perspiration. “Are you all right, Eren?”

Eren took a slow, deep breath and her eyes fluttered closed as she bit her bottom lip, seeming to hold in a sound. She nodded jaggedly, then shook her head as if to force herself into coherency and handed him a bottle. “Rub this into your leg.”

He took the bottle from her, but then dropped it with the book as Eren made a pained sound and collapsed into him. Wrapping his arms around her, Levi took a step back to keep them from falling and pain shot through his leg as her added weight applied more pressure to it. She buried her face in the crook of his neck as he groaned and an intoxicatingly sweet scent filled the room. Levi cursed. Had he broken the bottle?

Shifting his position, Levi lifted Eren off her feet so that she wouldn’t step on any possible glass and carried her over to the makeshift bed before the hearth. Eren clung to him, nuzzling her face into his skin. When he went to set her down, Eren tried to pull him into the bed with her and nearly succeeded if it weren’t for the priest prying her fingers off of him. She whimpered brokenly as Levi stood and he nearly returned to her, but the priest was already taking over.

“Shh, Eren. It’s all right,” Armin said soothingly as he pulled a bottle from the pocket of his robes. “Here, drink this, it’ll help.”

Eren ignored the priest and reached out for Levi. Her beautiful eyes, which seemed to shimmer in the setting sunlight, called to him, pleading for him to return to her. He took her hand, intertwining their fingers as Armin tipped the contents of the bottle into her mouth. Her skin was so warm, feverishly so, and the shaking of her fingers broke Levi’s heart, yet he didn’t understand why he was reacting like this. He hardly knew the woman and she was merely ill. It wasn’t like Eren was dying or anything. So why did her whimpers sound so devastating to him? What was this strange illness she had suddenly been overcome with?

Eren spluttered and coughed as Armin’s medication slipped down her throat. She tried to hold on tightly to Levi’s hand, but the draft seemed to be surprisingly fast acting and her grip soon became lax. As her eyes drooped closed she whimpered again, “A-alpha… stay…”

Armin’s eyes widened and his head jerked to Lord Ackerman, but Levi seemed oblivious to him as the lord knelt down beside Eren. Lord Ackerman was an alpha? But that was impossible; the Ackermans were human!

After kissing her fingers, Levi gently placed her hand on the bed and then pulled one of the furs over her. He wanted nothing more than to lay down next to her, but that would be completely unacceptable. Eren was an unwed maiden and his housekeeper. He would not ruin her because of his own silly little desires. Forcing himself to stand, Levi walked over to where he had dropped the journal and bottle. The latter was surprisingly in one piece. What then was the cause of that wondrous odour?

“After I finish seeing to Eren, I shall bring the rest of the books to you,” Armin said.

Levi collected his things and gave a curt nod to the priest. With one last lingering look at his sleeping housekeeper, Lord Lieutenant Colonel Levi Ackerman left the tower, completely unaware that his life would never be the same again.


	4. The Contract, Milord

With the assistance of a little boy named Sean, Levi found the great hall in record time. Though the hall was filled with long tables, the only one laden with food was the one on the dais. Levi watched the boy look at the delicious food hungrily and lick his lips before rushing off somewhere outside of the hall.

Levi watched him go and then approached the table, which oddly only had one placement set. Raising his brow at that, he stepped back out of the great hall and spotted Farlan across the way. He gestured for the man to come and Farlan jogged over.

“Anything the matter, Lieutenant Colonel?” Farlan asked, but his frown signified that he already knew.

“There is enough food on that table to feed an army. Why is there only one placement?” Levi asked quietly.

“Apparently, the master and his men eat first, but you have no warriors so it’s just you.”

Levi gave him a flat look. “That is far too much food for one person, entitled or not.”

“Whatever you don’t eat is given to the children. Once they’ve had their fill the rest of the servants get to eat. Eren gets whatever’s left.”

Levi pinched the bridge of his nose. He did not like where this was going. “What if by the time the servants finish there’s nothing left? Does the cook prepare more for Eren?”

“No,” Farlan said quietly and then lowered his voice, “and there’s hardly anything in the cellar. Certainly not enough to last the winter.”

“MIKASA!” Levi called. This was utterly ridiculous. How could his grandfather have allowed things to get so bad here?

“Yes, milord?” the butler said, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

Turning to her, Levi ordered, “Gather all of the servants to supper.”

“Is there something wrong with the food, sir?” Mikasa asked.

“No, I’m merely changing the feeding order. Feed the children and all of the servants, _and I mean all of them_ —including you and Eren.”

Mikasa’s jaw dropped slightly as she stared at him.

“I don’t like repeating myself, Miss Mikasa, and you won’t like the consequences when I do,” Levi warned.

Snapping her jaw shut, Mikasa nodded and began gathering the other servants. Levi watched as the servants slowly made their way into the great hall. They circled the table, eyes widen, lips shimmering with salivation, yet none of them dared to take a bite. Levi sighed. This was going to be a difficult adjustment for them, wasn’t it? As he took a step toward the table, a tall redheaded woman ran in and grabbed him by the shoulders, jerking him about.

“We actually get to eat it!?” she asked excitedly.

Levi’s eyes widened and he looked to Farlan for explanation as to who the ravenous beast was.

“This Miss Sasha Blouse, your cook,” Farlan informed. “Apparently the last time she ate before it was her turn, she had to face Miss Mikasa’s wrath.”

“I see.” Levi turned back to the now drooling cook. “Eat your fill, Miss Blouse.”

With a gleeful shout, the cook ran over to the table. Apparently that was enough to get everyone else to move forward as well, in fear that the woman would eat the whole damned table. A soft smile pulled at Levi’s as he watched the children happily devour bits of food as if the morsels were better than Christmas presents and then he frowned when he wondered when their last full meal had been.

When the priest entered the great hall, Levi pulled him aside and asked, “The forests were quite green on the way here, have their been many droughts?”

“No,” Armin said with a shake of his head and then his eyes widened. “Ah, the Harvest Tax.” Armin grimaced and looked at the children. “Seventy five percent of each harvest is to go to the current Lord Ackerman. The tax was originally to feed the warriors who lived at the castle and protected our borders. Though, when the Ackermans moved to Trost the food was expected there instead. And the percentage, um, may have gone up some with our previous master.”

Levi sighed. Between the draft, the fire, and this ridiculous tax it was a miracle they hadn’t revolted or move to another shire. “I was informed that the people here are loyal to a Lord Jaeger. Is this correct?”

The priest paled, but nodded. “Though, he goes by the old pronunciation of ‘lard’ so as to not be confused with the Ackerman’s authority, and he’s more of a head of the house rather than a noblemen, such as yourself, sir.”

“You speak of the old clan lords?” Levi asked. Whilst he had been born and bred for war and did not have the typical noblemen’s education, he did know some of the history of the northern half of the kingdom. Apparently, these lands had been controlled by savage clan lords who ruled over, what the books referred to as, their ‘wild kin,’ and his kingdom’s king had conquered them and brought civilization to the lands—or some such nonsense.

Again, the priest nodded. “Though not blood related, everyone here is a member of Clan Jaeger.”

Levi was quiet for a moment. He looked on to the servants who, whilst happily eating, still kept a watchful eye on him. Their mistrust of him was obvious and by all accounts justified. He had had some time to peruse the most reason book, detailing the day-to-day records and accounts. The book he had been given was for this year alone and it was incredibly detailed in a neat, but oddly slanted handwriting. It had also left very little to the imagination in how dire the situation was in Ackermanshire. If anything were to be done here, he’d have to move quickly in order to gain his people’s favour. The best way to do that would be to work with Lard Jaeger.

“Where can I find Lard Jaeger?” Levi asked, but apparently that wasn’t the right question as everyone within earshot immediately tensed. Sasha even dropped the drumstick she had been devouring.

“Not happening,” Mikasa snapped as she shot a cold glare across the room.

Armin raised his hands to silence her and gave a soft smile to the other servants. “Mikasa, would you please be so kind as to bring a plate of food to Annie?”

“Why can’t that damned cat feed herself?” one of the servants grumbled, he was a short but stocky man with a shaved head.

“She’s on guard duty,” Armin explained. He kept his eyes firmly on the butler until she huffed and left the room with a plate of food. The priest then turned back to Levi. “Perhaps we should further discuss this elsewhere?” His eyes flickered to Farlan and then back to Levi. “Alone, milord.”

Levi nodded and signaled for Farlan to stay put as he followed the priest out of the room. Armin led him across the hall and through the kitchen. They left the castle through a side door and went down a crumbling set of stairs, reaching what appeared to be some kind of greenhouse built into the side of the castle. With the nearly full moon the greenhouse was well lit and Levi felt a strange sense of peace wash over him, as if nothing would bother him here.

“We are in Eren’s greenhouse and shan’t be disturbed here,” Armin informed him.

“What guarantees that?” Levi asked as he looked around. The greenhouse was two stories tall with a wroth-iron railing going all the way around it. Plants of every kind grew in various pots and planters; there were even several small trees. In the distance he could hear the coo of an owl who had nested somewhere in the depths of the greenhouse. Near the entrance there were several tables covered in bowls and grinders and other various pieces of equipment that Levi had never seen before.

“As much as everyone in the castle cowers before Mikasa’s anger, what they truly fear is Eren’s wrath,” Armin said with a light chuckle. “I’m the only one with Eren’s permission to enter the greenhouse unattended.”

“The housekeeper sure seems to have everyone under her thumb,” Levi observed as he walked about the greenhouse. Despite the relative chaos of all the plants, he had to admit that the greenhouse was surprisingly clean.

Armin nodded to that. “It is because of Eren that they’re all here. Eren in some way saved every person in this castle and is very much like a parent to everyone. Tell me, milord, when you were small, didn’t you not wish to displease your parents?”

Levi looked over his shoulder at the priest with a tight frown, but didn’t answer. It wasn’t the priest’s business to know that he barely had any recollection of either parent, having been given over to the military before the age of five. He hadn’t been part of the direct line to the title that he now ironically held, so he had been sacrificed to the cause—and to better the family’s status with the king, of course.

Returning to his browsing of the various herbs and other plants, Levi said, “I’d like to meet with Lard Jaeger. Where an I find him?”

“You don’t, I’m afraid, milord.”

Levi turned about face and leveled Armin with a heavy stare.

The priest immediately raised his hands defensively, his cheeks flushing red as he hastily continued, “It has nothing to do with you, Lord Ackerman. It’s merely a safety precaution!”

“A safety precaution?” Levi said slowly, quirking a thin eyebrow.

“Um, yes, sir. You see,” Armin paused, his eyes lowering. “Lard Jaeger is the last and there are those who seek him in order to overtake these lands.”

“You mean Ackermanshire?”

Armin nodded.

“These lands are entitled to the Ackerman name. I own them, not Lard Jaeger,” Levi said firmly, allowing the bite of steel to enter his tone.

Armin raised his eyes at that, his irises holding a strange glow in the moonlight. It was almost as if the priest’s eyes held an inhuman power. “Things are a bit different here, Lord Ackerman, and you are a long way from your king.”

Levi’s eyes narrowed. “Is that a threat?”

“A warning,” Armin said calmly. “These lands remain yours because Lard Jaeger allows it. If someone was to take over or if Lard Jaeger were to die, you will loose all of Ackermanshire.”

Levi was quiet for a turn, allowing the priest’s warning to settle in. He had the distinct feeling that more was going on here than just his late grandfather’s poor governance. Eventually, he asked, “What is it that you want from me?”

“For you to hold up your end of the contract.”

He raised an eyebrow at that. “Contract?”

“The one the Ackermans made with Clan Jaeger,” Armin said as pulled a scroll out of his robes and handed it to Levi.

Taking it, Levi unrolled it and looked at it for but a moment before giving the priest a flat look. He could read the Ackerman signature, but that was it. The document was in a foreign tongue. The priest just stared back at him expectantly.

Shoulders dropping, Levi spat, “I can’t bloody read this.”

“You can’t?” Armin frowned. “But all noblemen-”

“I’m a soldier not a damned puss.” He chucked the scroll back at the priest.

Armin panicked but managed to catch it. “I-I’m sorry! Forgive me, Lord Ackerman. I didn’t-”

“It’s fine,” Levi snapped. “What’s in the contract?”

“Oh, uh,” Armin flushed and held the scroll close to his chest. “Essentially, Clan Jaeger of the Wild Kin willingly gives verbal claim over their territory to the Ackerman entitlement as long as Lord Ackerman provides protection, in all its forms, from the Kingdom of Sina. In accordance with this, Clan Jaeger will provide only Lord Ackerman of Sina with goods harvested and/or crafted from Jaeger territory in exchange for the necessary imports to sustain the territory.”

Levi listened to the wordy explanation, but as the priest’s cheeks reddened further and his eyes lowered, Levi had the sinking feeling that Armin wasn’t telling him everything. Crossing his arms over his chest, Levi narrowed his eyes and said, “What else?”

“N-Nothing! I-it’s just that, well…” Armin’s eyes flickered to him and then back to the ground before he quickly murmured the rest, “In the unlikely event that a member of each household were found to be compatible, the two would be joined in the union of child.”

Levi’s eyes widened. “Pardon?”

Armin notched his head up and said more determinedly, “I need to look into it a bit more, but I believe you may be compatible with a member of the Jaeger household. If so, then the two of you are bound by contract to mate and produce a child—an heir of both households.”

Levi laughed. He actually laughed, it was deep and a bit hysterical, but it was still a laugh. He shook his head and said, “Not fucking happening.”

He then turned on his heel and walked out of the greenhouse, leaving the stumbling, stuttering priest behind. Him? Have children? Bloody hell. No. That was the funniest shit he ever fucking heard. Levi Ackerman did not do children. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with the little beasts. It was bad enough that half his servants appeared to be children, why the hell would he want to bring more into the picture?

No. Levi was not having it. He marched back into the castle and up the three damned flights of stairs to his rooms. He would do what he could to help Ackermanshire prosper, but the Ackerman line would end with him. He’d make damned sure of that.


	5. Madam, the River is Cold

Three days had passed since Levi had left the priest in the greenhouse and, thankfully, he had seen neither hide nor hair of the man. Given, that may also have been due to Levi holing up in his room. Day and night he had been combing through all of the books, whilst Farlan had taken a horse to survey the land itself. Between the two of them they had managed to get a decent idea of where Ackermanshire stood and what it needed in order to prosper.

Though, it was still a vague image at best. Levi had assumed that people would be more willing to speak to Farlan because he wasn’t an Ackerman and he was charming when necessary. Unfortunately, that had been neither true in the village nor in the castle. The only one who had spoken to Farlan, with the bribery of food, had been Miss Sasha Blouse, and the only thing she had conspiratorially whispered was to talk to Eren.

However, no one had seen the housekeeper for three days. She appeared to be quite sick, yet none of the servants looked remotely worried. Levi, on the other hand, gnawed on his bottom lip at the thought. Farlan had reported that the villagers were remarkably healthy considering that a healer had to attend them for a full day and night. So the illness that overtook them couldn’t have actually been that bad. Though, if that were true, then why was Eren still sick? Or was there something else wrong with his housekeeper?

Levi limped over to his bedroom window and threw it open, allowing the early morning air to cool his rooms. His old wound ached, but not nearly as badly as it had before using Eren’s balm. Levi found his thoughts once again drifting back to his housekeeper, as they seemed wont to do these past three days.

Eren was a strange woman. Levi was annoyingly short, even by a woman’s standards, so being taller than him was not that uncommon. However, Eren’s height likely rivaled many men. And her eyes were such a uniquely complex colour, the likes of which Levi had never seen. From a distance they had appeared a beautiful teal colour, but upon closer inspection Eren’s eyes were a mirage of tiny flecks of many colours.

And then there had been Eren’s attitude. Their introduction had not been the best, but that still did not negate the fact that Eren had not acted like a woman ought to. She had not been cordial in the slightest and her words had been as sharp as a lash. Upon their second meeting on that very same day Eren had at first been guarded and then teasingly playful. The experience had nearly given Levi whiplash.

Yet, what Levi couldn’t stop thinking about had been the end of that encounter. Eren’s health had deteriorated so quickly. It was odd, to be sure. One moment she had been so desperate and, dare he say, lustful, and the next she had become feverish and shaken. Levi could still hear her voice, it had sounded so pained. The few times he had managed to get a moment’s sleep, he had quickly awoken to the sound of her voice in his head and a deep need to go to her.

But he hadn’t gone. That would be improper.

Levi slipped into the shadows of his bedroom as he heard his door handle turn. He watched the door open and a small girl slipped in. The child looked around with a confused frown and then breathed deeply, as if sniffing the air. The child’s confusion only seemed to grow more apparent at that.

“Milard?” the girl called out.

Taking that as his cue, Levi stepped out of the shadows. “What do you want?”

Gasping, the girl spun around, her eyes widening at the sight of him. She immediately dropped into a bow. “Lord Ackerman! I’m sorry! I forgot!”

Careful not to limp, Levi approached the child and leveled her with a heavy stare. “Forgot what?”

“Oh, uh…” The girl popped back up, her hazel eyes flickering around as if the room could give her the answer, and she clutched something tightly to her chest. “That, um, l-uh, I mean, that Eren had moved to, um…”

Levi raised a brow at that and quickly looked at his rooms. These rooms were large with a high ceiling and high quality furniture. The Ackerman coat of arms was etched into the door and the blankets and drapes were in the Ackerman colours of blue and white. They were rooms designed for a nobleman, not a servant. His eyes returned to the girl.

“These were Eren’s rooms?” he asked.

The girl flushed but nodded.

“I see.” Levi’s eyebrow twitched at that, but he kept his thoughts to himself. Instead, he asked, “If you were looking for Eren, why did you first call out for me?”

The girl’s blush disappeared in an instant and her eyes nearly swallowed her face as she was consumed with a look of pure terror. Emanating a high-pitched squeak, the child bolted from the room as something clattered to the floor.

Releasing a heavy sigh that sounded more like a frustrated growl than a release of breath, Levi watched her go. He wasn’t about to run after her, regardless of how easily she leaked clues. Levi Ackerman did not run—not anymore, anyway. Damned leg. With the help of a nearby chair, Levi leaned down, applying pressure only to his good leg, and picked up what the girl had dropped.

Standing back up, he rotated the object between his calloused fingers and, if possible, became even more confused. It was a metal locket baring the Ackerman crest. Why would Eren have such a necklace? Was it possible that he wasn’t the last of the Ackerman line? Levi ran a finger over the locket’s clasp and gnawed his bottom lip. The contents of the locket could give him the answer and it wasn’t like anyone around here was being particularly forthcoming.

He again thought of Eren. Eren had been forthcoming. Thus far she had brutishly told him exactly how things were here. Hell, she even nonchalantly admitted to selling the castle furniture as daring him to say anything against her. Levi’s lips twitched at the memory, momentarily displaying the smallest of smiles. He pocketed the locket.

Eren lay tangled in the furs and stared at the arched ceiling as the dim morning light slowly moved across it. His hands drifted along the fabric covering his womb. Empty. He squeezed his eyes against the hollow feeling. He wouldn’t cry. He wouldn’t shed a tear as the guilt pressed heavily against him. Useless omega, unable to bring a single pup to life. He ran a hand through his greasy hair and pulled until it hurt. The pain was only a momentary distraction.

He needed to bathe.

With a heavy sigh, he pushed himself to sit up, his muscles shaky and exhausted from his heat. It didn’t matter that he had slept through it, without an alpha to care for him, the heat still wore him down, and he was hungry from not eating for three whole days. He’d love nothing more than to take a few days to recover as his mother had done after her heats, but he didn’t have that luxury. He didn’t have an alpha.

He had to see to the castle, the estate, and the rest of Ackermanshire.

He had to check on the villagers and make sure no one was still sick.

He had to make sure the harvest preparations were still on schedule.

He had to check the territory borders and re-scent them.

He had to-

A soft knock sounded and the door cracked open. Armin’s head popped in followed by the rest of his body and a bit of bread stuffed with minced meat. He smiled cheerfully and said, “Morning.”

“How is everyone fairing?” Eren asked, taking the offered bread and quickly eating it.

“Everything is as it was three days ago. Connie took over patrols, he hasn’t reported any breaches, and the villagers are all well.”

Eren nodded at the information and continued eating. “And what of Lord Ackerman?”

Armin’s sudden nervous frown had Eren pausing mid-bite. “About him…”

Eren sat straighter, despite his body’s protest. “What happened?”

“I told him about the contract,” Armin said and when it became obvious Eren didn’t comprehend, he continued, “All of it, including the prospect of you two mating.”

A sharp growl shot through the tower. “What?”

“You called him alpha!” Armin defended, but didn’t lower his eyes in submission to the wolf’s obvious anger, not even when Eren’s irises turned golden yellow.

“So you want me to mate with him? To Lord Ackerman? _To a human?_ ” Eren snapped, devastated tears underlining his eyes. He couldn’t handle this, not right after an unsuccessful heat. “You want to curse me to a life of stillborns or—if I’m lucky—an infertile coyote or two?”

“That might not be the case, Eren. You called him alpha!”

“GET OUT!” the omega wolf roared, glaring at the druid with tear-stained eyes.

“Eren-”

“I believe the lady told you to get out,” Levi said coldly as he stepped inside the room. He had heard more than enough and the obvious pain in Eren’s voice had Levi moving before he could think over the situation.

“Lord Acker-”

“Priest,” Levi interrupted, giving the man a hard look. “Out.”

Armin looked between his lord and his lard. Eren’s face was wet with tears and his eyes still hard with rage. He hadn’t meant to upset the wolf, he just wanted his best friend to be happy and he had taken Eren calling Lord Ackerman alpha as a sign that maybe that could be possible. If bringing an alpha in from another pack wasn’t an option, than maybe the gods had given the omega pack leader this chance.

Levi’s eyebrow twitched as he watched the priest nibble his lip in thought. He did not appreciate being ignored, especially when Eren was so clearly distraught. Grabbing the priest by the collar, Levi yanked Armin from the room and slammed the door shut. Despite the windows being uncovered, the air in the tower was thick with tension and he could feel Eren’s eyes on his back.

Taking a deep breath, Levi kept his eyes trained on the door whilst he gathered himself. He didn’t know how to comprehend what he had overheard, nor his sudden interest in the woman’s plight. He had never reacted to a woman’s distress before; he saved those heroics for more honorable men. Lieutenant Colonel Levi Ackerman was no such man, he hadn’t even been born honorably, but he also wasn’t a heartless man, despite what others thought.

Turning, Levi walked over to the crying woman and knelt before her as he pulled the locket out of his pocket. The necklace swung silently between them. Eren’s quiet sobs softened and her golden eyes rose to the pendent. Her hair was messy and dirty, and her clothes were rumpled, there was even a bit of bread on her cheek. Yet, for once Levi was not repulsed by the dirt. She was beautiful.

Eren’s eyes followed the gentle sway of the locket as it hung from Lord Ackerman’s thin fingers. The sight of it made his heart swell with relief. He thought he had lost the heirloom last May and no matter how thoroughly he looked, he had been unable to find it. He reached out for the locket with quivering hands and Lord Ackerman gently placed it in his open palms.

Quietly, Lord Ackerman said, “A servant girl found it and for some reason thought my rooms were yours.”

Eren’s eyes flickered up to Lord Ackerman’s steady, gray orbs and then quickly back down. He knew he was being submissive to the human alpha and on any other day he would scold himself for such nonsense, but today he was far too raw. He was still reeling from the druid’s stupidity and the end of his heat only amplified it. He couldn’t believe Armin would suggest something so cruel.

Yes, technically humans and wolves could mate, Connie and Sasha were proof of that, but it was incredibly risky. If a pup even made it to term, it’d likely be stillborn, but on the rare chance the pup survived, it would be a coyote—an infertile, beta half-breed, unaccepted by either pack or human society.

Being barren was painful enough, but survivable. Eren didn’t think he could survive loosing a single pup, let alone the amount of pups it would take to finally birth a coyote. And then to watch that coyote grow? Eren loved Connie and Sasha as if they were his own, but he wasn’t naïve to how much they had suffered as pups when their packs abandoned them, or how they still suffered, too afraid to love and force another into a childless relationship.

Calloused fingers brushed the tears from his cheek and Eren’s eyes fluttered closed at the warm touch. His senses were filled with the alpha’s soothing scent and he felt his body relaxing. With a soft whimper, he tilted his head, pressing his face against Lord Ackerman’s hands.

“You’re a Jaeger, aren’t you?”

Eren languidly opened his eyes and searched the blue-gray orbs that had haunted his heat-drenched dreams. With his emotions subdued by the alpha, his irises had returned to their normal teal colour. Lord Ackerman’s face was a blank slate, but his eyes expressed what his face could not. Eren could see the soft worry in those eyes, but also the confusion as Lord Ackerman searched for answers.

Could Eren trust this Lord Ackerman? Could he let the truth of Ackermanshire be known? He wanted to. He wanted to trust this alpha that called to him, and yet he couldn’t. Since the Ackermans left Jaeger territory to live among the other humans in Trost they hadn’t known the truth of the Wild Kin and the bond between the humans and Clan Jaeger had become increasingly strained. That was made horrendously apparent with the last Lord Ackerman.

Hardening his gaze, Eren said, “The furnishings in the Ackerman rooms were the nicest and would sell for the greatest profit. With no Lord Ackerman in house, they were the first to go.”

Lord Ackerman’s brow rose, but his tone remained neutral. “That wasn’t my question, madam.”

“I told you to call me Eren.” He stood, mentally cursing his legs as they wobbled. Lord Ackerman’s hands were on his hips in an instant, steadying him, and Eren had to hold back a moan at the warmth radiating from the alpha’s touch. No, he scolded himself, not alpha— _human_. Forcing himself to sound dismissive, Eren said, “Thank you for returning my locket, but I have no way to show my appreciation, milord. I’ve far too many things to do today.”

Lord Ackerman’s eyes narrowed in annoyance, but he made no move to stand. “You need to rest. Give me a list of today’s tasks and I will see them done myself.”

Eren’s jaw slackened slightly and his eyes widened. “You would do a housekeeper’s work?”

“I’m particularly good at cleaning,” Lord Ackerman said with a small smirk. “Though, from what I’ve gathered, I doubt your tasks are that simple.”

Eren blinked owlishly at that.

“Has any one ever told you you work too hard? Allow me to take on some of that burden.” With a soft grunt, Lord Ackerman pushed himself to stand and Eren instantly missed his warm touch. “I am the lord of these lands, after all.”

Eren smiled softly at that, and his heart raced in his chest. No one had ever asked to share his duties, to help hold up his burden. He was Lard Jaeger, it was his responsibility to lead and protect his clan after the death of his father. He loved his clan, he would do anything for them, but he was so exhausted, and perhaps he couldn’t trust Lord Ackerman with the secrets of the Wild Kin, but maybe—just maybe—he could trust his lord with this.

“At least at first, it would be easier if we do them together, Lord Ackerman,” Eren said quietly.

“Levi,” the alpha said and his gaze fell to the side for a moment before snapping back to Eren. “I’m not particularly fond of the title.”

Eren tilted his head at that. From what he understood, humans were very proud of their nobility, yet there was a hard edge to Lord Acker-to Levi’s eyes.

“I wasn’t born for it,” Levi answered the unvoiced question and shrugged. He then looked around the circular room. “We should start with having a bath dawn for you. I don’t see a tub. Where do you usually bathe?”

Eren flushed at that and stuttered nonsensical sounds. His tub was in his rooms—in Levi’s rooms. Since spring he had taken to always bathing in the river. He enjoyed the fresh, running water and the connection to the earth as he bathed in the river, but the warmth of a proper tub on his heat-sore muscles would be divine.

“The river,” Eren murmured truthfully as his eyes fell to the side only to flicker back to Levi as the alpha made a strange, unhappy sound. It wasn’t quite a growl, but Eren had never heard a human growl, so perhaps that was the human version.

Levi turned from Eren and offered his arm. “Come. You’ll bathe in my rooms and I’ll have Miss Blouse send up some food for you.”

“But-”

“Eren, you just recovered from being ill,” Levi snapped. “I will not have my housekeeper ill again from bathing in the bloody river.”

Eren took the offered arm, but not before stubbornly announcing, “I enjoy bathing in the river.”

“It’s cold,” was all Levi said as he led Eren from the room.

Their pace was slow, but comfortable as they made their way down the tower. Eren didn’t mind the pace as his muscles were still recovering from his heat and he could smell the sour tinge of pain in Levi’s scent. He wondered what had happened to the alpha’s leg and how the humans could be so incompetent for the wound to still cause pain, but instead of voicing that he said, “It’s very clean and the rapids are good for sore muscles.”

“It’s also cold,” Levi said, as if that was the only sensible thing that mattered. Obviously, the alpha was opposed to the cold. Eren filed that tidbit of information away for winter. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mythology Clarification: Wolves, Coyotes, and Humans
> 
> Historically, humans & wolves can mate even though they're separate species. And just like horses & donkeys generally produce infertile mules, humans & wolves produce infertile coyotes. However, the chance of birthing a living coyote is very low, most are either stillborn or miscarried before birth. Besides being infertile, coyotes are smaller than wolves & some can't even shift into their animal form. Like humans, coyotes are always betas, but because they're half-breeds, if they're accepted into a wolf pack, they are still seen as below all other wolves, including omegas. 
> 
> In this story, Sasha & Connie are both coyotes born from other packs & were taken in by Eren. Thus, Eren, as the only living Jaeger, is their pack leader, even though he's an omega. 
> 
> If anything is confusing about the mythology, omega verse, or dynamics within this story, please let me know so I can clarify it--or if what a character is (human, wolves, druid, &c) is confusing, let me know that too!


	6. My Dear, this is Dreadfully Improper

Eren nearly collapsed into the plush chair that creaked in a nostalgic way. His mother used to sit in this very chair near the burning hearth every night, whilst he and Mikasa would cocoon themselves in furs on the Persian rug and listen to her stories—fantastical tales of heroic alphas saving omegas in distress. Eren’s hands settled naturally over his empty womb. It was also in this chair that he had happened upon his mother crying after her heats whilst father had a bath drawn. He didn’t understand her tears then, he was too young, but he did now—another heat had gone by and she had been unable to give her mate a proper heir, an alpha child.

Levi and his valet were in the corridor. They thought that out there, with the door closed and their voices soft, that they wouldn’t be heard, but as Eren stared unseeingly at the unlit fire he could hear everything.

“I mean no offense, Lieutenant Colonel, but do you realize how improper this is?” Farlan said in a tense, hushed tone, and the signed. “Don’t give me that look. You’ve just brought a female servant to your rooms, unaccompanied, and she looks like she’s about to feint.”

Eren grumbled at that comment. Let’s have him go through three nights of heat without an alpha and see how he comes out, shall we? Stupid human.

“Ouch,” Farlan hissed.

“Say another word against her and I’ll do more than box your ears, Major.” Levi’s tone was low and firm, and the alphan threat in it had Eren’s heart fluttering.

“What’s with you?”

“Never mind that. Just be a good valet and do as I say. Run down to the kitchens and have Miss Blouse make a tray for Eren-”

“On a first name bases all re-” Farlan’s tease was cut off by a sharp thud and another pained sound.

“You may want to remember that outside of the military you are as unhirable as I am, Major, and that I am under no obligation to employ your outlandish ass.” Levi released that strange, human growl. Eren was immediately to his feet.

“Right. My apologies, sir.”

“Now, as I was saying-”

Eren threw open the door and squared both humans with a hard look. “I can hear everything you two monkeys are babbling.”

Farlan flushed and Levi’s expression hardly changed except for the subtle narrowing of his eyes. Eren ignored his lord and turned to the valet, holding out his hand. “We haven’t been introduced yet. Sorry for the delay, I was indisposed for a few days. I am Eren, the housekeeper, by and by. And you are Farlan Church, Lord Ackerman’s valet, correct?”

Farlan blinked, shocked by the woman’s brisk, yet upbeat tone, and then took her offered hand. As soon as they touched, the Lieutenant Colonel made that low, displeased, rumbling sound in the back of his throat that the men had grown accustomed to over the years.

“Levi, behave,” Eren chastised, as a mother would a child. “It’s just a hand shake.”

Levi shot her a glare that the housekeeper appeared immune too.

Retrieving her hand, Eren turned back to Farlan. “Now, if you would please be so kind as to have a the bath drawn and a tray brought up for Lord Ackerman, that would be lovely.”

Despite the pleasantries, Farlan could hear the indisputable order in her tone. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Just Eren, will do. Thank you.” She smiled at him and Farlan found himself effectively dismissed. He gave her a jagged nod and briefly glanced toward Levi, before turning on his heel and left the corridor.

“You’re very good at ordering people about,” Levi observed as the door at the end of the corridor closed behind his valet.

“And for a Lieutenant Colonel you seem to be rather rubbish as soon as someone talks back,” Eren teased as he leaned against the doorframe. Though the sound of that strange growl had him moving, he was still bloody exhausted.

“That’s only because I can’t shoot them for disobedience anymore.”

“Oh my, it seems like civilian life has castrated your…” Eren grinned, his eyes lowering briefly to Levi’s groin and back, “ _authority_ , Lord Ackerman.”

The glowering glare Levi shot him had warmth pooling in the pit of his stomach. Oh, how he loved how this little, human alpha bristled.

“I don’t think I have to express the impropriety of that comment, madam,” Levi grumbled.

“Your memory must be going with age, sir. I clearly remember telling you to call me Eren.”

Levi’s eye twitched as he watched Eren smirk and walk back into the room, her body swaying unsteadily. He was next to the housekeeper in a single breath, his hand resting on the base of her spine. She chuckled softly, the sound deep and warm. The muscles around his lips spasmed subtly, but he didn’t quite smile. Leading Eren to the high-backed chair by the fire, Levi took the one opposite, his hand automatically going to his aching thigh.

“Have you tried the ointment I gave you?” Eren asked, her eyes steadily on the empty hearth.

Levi’s cheeks flushed and instead of answering, he quickly went about starting a fire. When the flames flickered to life, he settled back in his chair, but made sure his hands went to the armrests. He could feel Eren’s eyes on him, but did not dare to look back.

“When things are more settled, I’ll take a look at your leg,” Eren said quietly.

“My leg is fine,” he firmly replied.

“They’ll notice, you know. It’ll take just one slip up, a slight wince or a misstep, and all of Ackermanshire will know. They’re watching you, looking for your weakness, for a way to run you out.”

Levi turned to her. Eren sat very still, her breathing slow and calm, yet her eyes watched him as intensely as he watched her. The air between them stilled, the silence interrupted only by the crackling fire, the wind whirling passed the windows, the fluttering of the curtains. They were at a standstill, an impasse that was dependent entirely on Levi’s next move. Thus far Eren had been honest with him, but Levi knew she was also keeping secrets, information she had chosen to withhold from him—that she did not trust him with. He was their lord in name only and he was certain that this was the woman he had to win over in order for the rest to follow.

“Why does your locket bare the Ackerman family crest?” Levi asked smoothly, his voice nearly monotone.

A slow, smirkish smile spread across Eren’s face and her eyes crinkled around the corners in an unreadable humour. “I can assure you, Levi, I am not an Ackerman.”

“No,” Levi agreed, his eyes never leaving Eren’s. “Despite being a woman, I dare say all the evidence points to you being the infamous Lard Jaeger.”

Eren cocked an eyebrow at that.

“Your priest let it slip that Lard Jaeger was the last of his line, but then stated that I may be compatible with a member of the Jaeger household—that member being you, given what I overheard in the tower. Not to mention the servant girl who came looking for her you in these rooms this morning and called out for her ‘lard.’”

The housekeepers face gave nothing away as she looked at him a moment longer, before her eyes flickered toward the corridor seconds before the doors opened. A commotion followed, interrupting the tense silence, and then servants entered the room with buckets of steaming water. Eren smiled pleasantly at them, inquiring how each servant was doing, how their families were fairing. Levi watched the interactions. There was genuine warmth and affection in each word Eren spoke and it was easy to tell that the servants reciprocated it.

The last servant to enter was Miss Blouse, who set a tray on the side table between them. Their interaction was odd. Though outwardly Eren and Miss Blouse’s conversation appeared normal, there was an intensity in the women’s eyes that had Levi on edge, as if they were communicating through more than words alone.

“Well, I’m pleased to hear that you’re feeling on the mend, Eren,” Miss Blouse said as she took hold of Eren’s hand in an odd manner that brought their wrists together briefly before letting go and leaving the room.

The door to Levi’s rooms was not closed, but as soon as the door at the end of the hall, which separated this wing from the rest of the castle, closed, Eren was on her feet. She crossed the sitting room and walked over to the pile of books he had received from Armin. She plucked out a particularly old, leather journal that had the Ackerman crest embossed on the cover and then returned to her seat.

After pulling the locket from the pocket of her skirts, Eren showed Levi the two items and said, “It’s not the Ackerman crest.”

Levi leaned forward and looked more closely at the two items. At first glance they appeared to be identical shields with crossing wings, a knight’s head rested on the top, and flanked by a pair of lions. However, upon closer inspection, the beasts on the locket were not lions, but wolves. Standing, Levi walked to the door. The crest etched into the wood also had wolves.

“An easy mistake to make,” Eren said as she repocketed her locket. “One is the Ackerman crest, the other for Ackermanshire.”

Levi cocked a brow at that. “Why would Ackermanshire have a different coat of arms than the family that is entitled to it?”

“Most likely to represent the contract with Clan Jaeger,” Eren said with a simple shrug. “I suppose that is also why you wear the clan’s tartan colours.”

Levi looked around the sitting room. The upholstery was mainly in the Ackerman’s colours of blue and white, but it made more sense for them to be Jaeger colours. Levi had always found it odd that his family had a formal dress code when it came to colours that other noble families did not. In Sina everyone’s colours were the same colours—the royal pink and green of the Kingdom of Sina. But these northern lands did not come willingly into Sina rule; it would make sense that they would hold fast to their own traditions.

“Mind if I bathe whilst we talk?” Eren asked nonchalantly, pulling Levi from his thoughts.

Though the bathing chamber was a separate room, Levi was viscerally aware of how improper it would be for him to remain in the sitting room whilst she bathed. If he were honest, he didn’t want Eren out of his sight. She was good at hiding it, but he could some how tell that she was exhausted, despite the bright smiles and teasing words. There was also a whisper in the back of his mind that said she was in pain, though there was no evidence for it. Yet, he was not her husband, nor would he ever be. He should wait out side.

A harsh, animalistic growl ripped through the room the moment he made to step into the corridor. Levi’s head snapped toward Eren’s, whose teal eyes had a strange yellowish outline. He had seen eyes like that before, ones that change to inhuman colours, but the good doctor’s eyes did not seem so wild, so panicked. Back then, he had been told not to ask questions, and right now he wasn’t sure he could even if he wanted too. Eren’s eyes softened as she let out a quiet whimper and Levi was immediately crossing the room.

“What’s wrong?” he hastily asked.

Eren seemed to take a deep breath when he neared, her eyes lowering as she murmured, “Don’t go so far.”

“I won’t,” he promised. “I’m here.”

Another, weaker, whimper slipped through her lips and Eren’s hands went to her lower stomach. “I’m fine,” she said, though her voice sounded anything but. “I need a bath.”

“You don’t sound fine,” Levi stated as he hovered near, uncertain of what to do.

It irritated him. He was a man of action, yet he didn’t have enough information to act. It was obvious that something was wrong, but Eren wasn’t telling him what. When Eren once again whimpered, Levi found himself grinding his teeth and growling in reply. Eren grabbed his sleeve at the sound, the touch quieting the rumbling in the back of Levi’s throat.

“I’m fine,” Eren repeated more firmly. “It’s a little early, but it’s normal.”

Levi cocked an eyebrow at that. “How the bloody hell is pain normal?”

Eren ground his teeth as another sharp pain shot through his body and mentally cursed the inept human nose and humanity’s ridiculous aversion to menstruation. With wolves the whole thing was a natural, biological process and the smell omegas and female betas excreted during that time told their mates and pack alphas to be on guard, to protect them as they shed their uterine lining.

Though a few days early, this was all perfectly normal—another sharp pain rammed through his body—well, maybe not perfectly, the cramps usually weren’t this frequent right from the get-go, not even for a male omega. Male omegas were rare, and for good reason, biology had not been kind to them. Their bodies may be tougher in general, but heats, menstruations, and pregnancies—providing they survived the birthing—were physically more demanding, and they often required longer recovery times—not that Eren had ever had that luxury.

“Just help me to the bath,” Eren huffed and tried to stand, but his muscles shook and he found himself too weak. He had only had a few hours to recover from his heat and now the cramps were draining what little energy he had left. Why couldn’t he have been born a normal, female omega? Or better yet, an alpha? Oh, right, because alphas couldn’t bear the Key.

Despite his better judgment, Levi scooped Eren up. Though taller, she was surprisingly light and he worried at how much of her weight came from her dress—he knew the copious layers could weigh at least a stone or two, if not more. She lay limply in his arms, Eren’s nose pressed against the crook of his neck. Her added weight strained his leg, but he pushed through the familiar pain as he crossed the sitting room.

There were only four chambers to his rooms, the largest being the sitting room, but past that was a bathing chamber and a bedroom, both connected through a wardrobe. The bathing chamber was a simple room containing little more than a porcelain tub and a corner fireplace, which had been lit to warm the room when the tub was filled. When he had first entered these rooms, he thought it was odd that they had a woody, herbal scent, but now that he knew that they had once belonged to Eren, the scent made more sense. It suited Eren.

With a hissing whimper, Eren tensed in Levi’s arms as he reached the steaming tub. Levi had to stop himself from holding her more firmly. His brain was on high alert, telling him to sooth her, to keep her close, to protect her, but he was also afraid of causing her any more pain.

“Do you think you can manage to get in the tub yourself?” he murmured into her hair and nuzzled the crown of her head, ignoring the unwashed, greasy texture.

Eren nodded, but whispered against his skin, “Don’t go far.”

“I’ll be just outside the door,” he said, setting her on the stool next to the tub.

He made to stand, but was halted by Eren’s grip on his lapel. He pulled back enough to look into her weary eyes, no longer lined in feral gold. Their faces were a breath apart and Levi was filled with the need to brush his lips against hers, to comfort her with the warmth of his touch, but he held himself back. He knew better. That wasn’t proper.

When he managed to pull back a little more, Eren frowned and softly whined. It was strange hearing a grown woman make such a sound, but at the same time it felt perfectly natural.

Releasing Levi’s coat, Eren asked, “Would you help with my lacings?”

Levi didn’t trust himself to speak, his mind whirling with feelings and thoughts that were unfamiliar to him, so he gave a curt nod and moved behind Eren. Eren’s dress was made of sturdy materials and of a, thankfully, simple design, held in place by only a few buttons and a thick string laced down the long curve of her spine.

He made quick work of it, but his fingers slowed as Eren’s thin chemise came into view. Levi had only ever seen chemises that were designed to be seen—flimsy, delicate pieces of cloth that did very little for a woman’s modesty. Eren’s was not like those. Levi could tell that it had been made of a thicker, more durable material, which had been worn thin over time.

In the flickering firelight, Levi could make out a feint, black pattern etched into Eren’s skin just behind the chemise. His eyes glided it downwards and, without thinking, his fingers traced the line of her spine. He could feel the ridge of each vertebra protruding under Eren’s warm skin. He frowned. She was too thin.

Eren moaned softly. “Your hands feel nice.”

“Is this where it hurts?” Levi asked, his fingers brushing against her lower back.

She whimpered. “Y-yes.”

Throwing propriety to the wind, Levi indulged his need to comfort her and began massaging her lower back as she held the front of her dress in place. He took an inordinate amount of pleasure in the sound of her quiet moans as his hands worked the tension from her muscles. When Eren had sufficiently relaxed, Levi forced himself to pull away.

“Perhaps you should bathe now,” he murmured into the quiet, intimate atmosphere that had settled around them.

Eren whined in response, but nodded, her head lolling to the side slightly. Levi moved in front of her and tilted her chin upward. Her eyes were half-mast and slow to meet his.

“Can you manage?” he asked quietly.

She smiled up at him. “I’m fine. I’ll manage.”

He looked at her for a moment longer and then turned on his heel, stepping out of the room. Levi didn’t go far, as he had promised. He leaned against the wall, relieving some of the pressure from his right leg, and listened to the ruffling of fabric in the bathing chamber. A moment later water sloshed onto the floor and Eren groaned.

Levi tried not to imagine the warm water enveloping Eren’s skin. She was tan for a woman, and he wondered how far down that tan went. She said she bathed in the river, perhaps—Levi shook himself. Such thoughts were inappropriate. Eren was his housekeeper and he was the Lord of Ackermanshire. He did not have time for such dalliances. Nor would he tease an innocent woman with the prospect of something he could not give.

A whimper had Levi’s head turning. “Eren?”

“I’m…” Eren cursed, the water splashed, and then Eren screamed.

Levi was in the room in the next second. Eren’s grip on the side of the tub cracked the porcelain and the water was a deep red colour. Levi swore and turned to get help, but was halted by Eren’s voice.

“ _Alpha_ ,” she whimpered. “S-stay.”

He was by her side in a heartbeat, his smaller hand wrapping around hers. “I need to get you help.”

“S-sasha’s,” Eren groaned, “coming.”

“Okay. Let’s get you out of there then.”

“N-no!” Eren squeaked, sinking further into the bloodied water so that it sloshed against her chin.

“Now you decide to be modest?!” Levi growled.

Eren gave him a small, weak smile, her cheeks flush, and her brow covered in perspiration. She went to speak, but then the pain struck again and her eyes squeezed shut as a low whimper seeped from her lips. Levi didn’t know what to do. He had grown up on the battlefield, surrounded by carnage and countless deaths; yet, he had never been more terrified than he was now seeing a woman he hardly knew lying in a tub of blood.

The doors banged open in the corridor and then Mikasa, Miss Blouse, and a blonde woman Levi didn’t know burst into the room. They immediately set to work, but as soon as Mikasa tried to pull him from Eren, Levi snarled and struck out. Mikasa barely managed to dodge. Rage surged through him. He would not leave her! The three women stepped back, eyes wide with shock, and Levi glared at them each in turn.

“Hey,” Eren’s quiet voice pulled at his attention.

When he did not look away from the women, he felt her hand turn under his, intertwining their fingers, and giving his hand a squeeze. Only then did he look at her. Eren looked up at him, completely calm.

“It’s okay. They know what they’re doing,” Eren said steadily. “You need to leave, but not too far, okay?”

Levi didn’t want to leave. He could tell that she was still in terrible pain, but he couldn’t defy Eren right now either. He gave a reluctant nod and stood. Leaning over the tub, he brushed his lips over her forehead and whispered, “I’ll not leave these rooms.”

He then gave the three women a warning glare and left the bathing chamber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WRITING SCHEDULE:  
> I've a tentative writing schedule. In order to not over stress myself & give more attention to chapters for each of my four current stories, I'm going to attempt to post bi-weekly for each story. My posting goal is by end of Friday of each week. So, unfortunately that means you lot won't get a post next week, but those reading _Momadi_ & _Exposure_ will.   
> See you lovely lot in two weeks!


	7. Amalgamation, Milard

Levi paced the sitting room. He was unusually agitated, restless. He couldn’t sit still. Any miniscule sound had his ears perking and his head whipping toward the bedroom door, where the three women had carried a very pale Eren. That had been hours ago. Female servants had come and gone from the room, carrying blood-soaked towels, but not a word was spoken.

Farlan and Connie, the only male live-in servant, had taken the tub from the bathing chamber after he had helped them drain it of crimson water. There had been so much blood, too much blood. He had never seen a soldier lose so much blood and survive. Now the only thing he could do was wait and pace the sitting room like an irritated pendulum.

Farlan watched the Lieutenant Colonel as the clock ticked, counting down another hour. For once he said nothing, sensing that Levi was likely to break his neck if he did. They had similar upbringings, similar unhonorable births—bastard brothers, through and through. But Levi had always been the wilder one, the more aggressive one.

When they were little, there were times when Farlan had actually been afraid of his childhood friend, but he had never had the heart to abandon Levi. The military wasn’t an easy place to grow up, especially for children without families that actually cared. But Levi had learned to control it, to hide his emotions and ignore his wild impulses. Though, sometimes Farlan still heard that strange sound vibrating in the back of Levi’s throat. It wasn’t a human sound and Farlan had always wondered where Levi had picked up the habit.

Tonight was testing his friend’s control and Farlan damn well knew it, but neither man understood why. Farlan had never seen Levi so shaken, not even when their own men were on the table. Sure there had been a lot of blood in that tub, but this was just some housekeeper that the Lieutenant Colonel hardly knew.

Levi turned on his heel, his mind a muddle of fear and confusion. Why was he so afraid? Was he afraid Eren would die? Death was nothing new to him. He was a solider. He had seen his own men die left and right under his command—he had ordered his men to charge forward, to keep fighting, even though he knew he was sending them to the slaughter. He accepted death for what it was and moved on. Yet the thought of losing Eren…

It didn’t make sense. He hardly knew the girl.

The bedroom door opened and Levi was walking toward the tall, blond woman before he even registered what he was doing. She left the door open behind her, but remained blocking it. Her eyes steady on him, as if unimpressed and bored.

“How is she?” Levi asked.

“She?” One of the woman’s thin, pale eyebrows raised and then her eyes flickered to the room behind her and back. “Eren will be fine. I’m Annie, by and by, since you forgot introductions.”

Levi grimaced and remembered himself. “My apologies. I-” He paused. “Isn’t Annie the cat?”

“Never mind that,” the woman said, her tone nearly flat. “You’ve been asked for.”

Looking toward the room beyond Annie, Levi hesitated. As much as his body was screaming at him to go in there, he knew better than to go in uninformed. Returning his gaze back to the woman, Levi asked, “What happened?”

Annie gave him a searching look before saying, “You’re not married and I’ve no loyalty to Ackermanshire so I’ve no reason to tell you anything.”

Levi grinded his teeth together at that, but before he could say anything Annie sighed, as if annoyed, and continued, “But Eren seems to trust you for some foolhardy reason.” She shrugged. “I’m not a doctor and my apothecary skills are not founded in healing. What happened was natural, simple menstruation, but the speed and intensity of it was dangerously abnormal—even for Eren.”

Levi frowned. He knew very little about women’s cycles and all that it involved—what man did?—and what he did know was nothing more than a handful of contradicting old wives’ tales. “I was led to believe that such things lasted days, if not longer. She won’t survive if she keeps loosing blood like that.”

“Normally that’s true,” Annie said with a slow, thoughtful nod. “Eren’s a bit different, but that is not for me to discuss. What I can tell you is that this incident was not foreseen, but not unexpected either. Eren is just too stubborn to agree.”

He sighed heavily, not liking the sound of that. He ran a hand through his hair. They needed a proper doctor. Annie already stated that this was not her area of expertise and according to the other servants Eren was Ackermanshire’s only healer.

“I need to go into town,” Annie said dismissively and then left Levi’s rooms without so much as a ‘by your leave.’

He watched her go and then turned to Farlan, ignoring the desperate pull he felt, the hurried desire to go to the bedroom. Motioning for his valet to come forward, Levi said quietly, “Ride to Trost. Gather whomever is there and send an invitation to the Good Doctor.”

Farlan raised an eyebrow at that. “You really want to ask that loon for help?”

“You know any better doctors?” Levi asked tensely. When Farlan didn’t answer, he dismissed the man with a nod and entered the bedroom.

It was as if he had entered a mausoleum. A solemn stillness suffocated the air, consuming the life from the room. Yet there was a gentle, maternal warmth to what Levi found on the bed. Eren lay in the center, her arm wrapped around Mikasa, whose head was on Eren’s shoulder. Miss Blouse was between them, but lower with her head resting on Eren’s abdomen and her arm wrapped securely around Eren’s midsection. Eren’s breathing was slow and even, and her tanned skin was so pale she nearly blended with Mikasa’s porcelain tones. The trio made Levi feel like he was before a living sculpture, a depiction of serene beauty, femininity, and a familial unity that he was unaccustomed to.

Levi took the seat to the side of the bed, with only a span of white sheets and downy bedding between him and the mysterious housekeeper that he was so utterly drawn to. The proximity soothed him a little. He sat there, just as unmoving as the sleeping women, for hours more. For now he gave up trying to understand his reaction to Eren and instead listened to her steady breathing, letting it reassure him that she was alive, that she was stable.

When the fire in the bedroom hearth began burning low, a servant entered to rekindle it. It was the same little girl as before, the one who had found the locket. She tried to keep her head down, but Levi spotted her peaking over at the bed on more than one occasion, her expression filled with worry.

“What’s your name?” Levi asked, breaking the stale silence of the room.

“Marie, sir,” the girl replied in a tiny voice.

“No surname?”

“I’m an orphan, sir.”

Levi looked at the girl carefully for a moment as her eyes lingered on Eren. Gently, he asked, “Who takes care of the orphans in Ackermanshire?”

Her eyes snapped to him and then the floor. “Eren, sir.” 

Levi sighed. What doesn’t this damned woman do?

“And how many does Eren care for?” he asked.

Marie blushed, her shoulders curving. “Just three: Sasha, Connie, and me,” she paused, “Well, and Mikasa, sort of, but she’s more like Eren’s sister, and sort of Annie, but Annie was older when she came to the castle and-”

“You’re rambling, child.”

Both heads snapped up at the sound of that warm, gentle voice. Eren was smiling at the little girl, who immediately rushed toward the bed. Levi thrust out a hand and halted the servant.

“You just tended the fire. Your hands are filthy,” he said sternly.

The girl frowned and looked down at her soot-covered hands.

“It’s fine,” Eren rasped tiredly and reached out, taking little Marie’s dirty hands in hers and giving them a squeeze. “I’m sorry I worried you, child, but everything is going to be okay. I won’t leave you.”

Marie’s eyes gushed with tears and she sprung into Eren’s arms with a loud sob. Eren’s arms wrapped around the child and she cooed soothingly as the other two women awoke and joined the hug. Levi could do naught but witness the display of motherhood like nothing he had seen before. In Sina women were rarely with the children they bore, allowing governesses, nannies, and women of lower birth to raise their offspring instead.

Things in Ackermanshire were clearly different. There were neither blood ties nor monetary gain, yet these three women clearly loved the child cocooned in their embrace. They soothed the girl and reassured her of the stability of her patchwork family. And it was equally obvious that Levi did not exist in their sphere, that there was a wall between his chair and the bed, one that he was not allowed to cross.

Eren ran his fingers through Marie’s hair as Mikasa and Sasha smothered her in the love she so desperately needed. He had found her two years ago during a mid-winter hunt abandoned along the border of Jaeger territory, a human cross branded into her chest. The poor babe was likely a hybrid and a victim of her human parent’s religious fears. She was not the first to be labeled a demon by humans, and she would not be the last.

At least Eren had been able to save this one. There was a small burning mound, deep in the forest, for those who had not been so fortunate. For centuries the Jaeger Clan had been laying the unfortunate hybrids to rest there, those who had been abandoned on the outskirts of their territory and found too late to save. Too much ash rested there, but at least he had managed to save two coyotes and little Marie—who had yet to reveal her Wild Kin blood, but smelled like a baby omega to Eren.

“Everything will be as it should,” Eren promised and nuzzled Marie’s soft hair. “But for that to occur, you three must be on your way. You’ve duties yet to perform, no?”

“But your ill, Eren!” Marie argued. “Who will take care of you if we leave?”

“Lord Ackerman, of course,” Eren said with a smile and he reached over the bed, taking the alpha’s hand. He gave those cool fingers a reassuring squeeze. Despite his attention being on Marie, he had not been oblivious to the alpha’s distressed scent, soured with worry and something Eren couldn’t quite decipher.

Levi stilled at the contact, his expression giving away nothing, but his eyes were steadily on Eren as he ignored Mikasa’s glare and Sasha’s curious look.

Marie, on the other hand, pouted. “But-”

“Marie, I’m fine,” Eren said firmly, but kept his expression warm. “This Lord Ackerman is a good man and he will take good care of me until I am back to work on the morrow. So, off with you, child. Go help Sasha in the kitchens.”

Pout deepening in displeasure, Marie sighed and hopped off the bed. Sasha looked curiously between her pack leader and Levi, but said nothing as she kissed Eren’s cheek and then followed Marie out of the room. Eren was sure the coyote had questions, Sasha could obviously smell Levi’s alpha scent, but Eren was thankful she had, for once, held her tongue. Eren made a mental note to speak to both Connie and Sasha later.

Mikasa was a different matter. She was ceasg-born, who Eren’s parents had adopted after her parents’ brutal murder, and had been raised as Eren’s sister. Having lost both her paternal and adoptive parents, Mikasa was fiercely protective of the only family she had left. Thus, the current hostility of her glare toward Lord Ackerman—a glare the human alpha seemed adamant to ignore.

“It’s fine,” Eren said more gently this time and placed his other hand on his sister’s shoulder. The ceasg was a beta species, so Eren knew she couldn’t smell the alpha like he could, and he needed to reassure her in a different way. “Levi isn’t going to hurt me.”

Mikasa’s eyes flickered to him at the use of Lord Ackerman’s given name. Her eyes then dropped down to Eren’s hand, where it still held Levi’s, and then back up to Lord Ackerman. “You should leave Ackermanshire immediately.”

“I’ve no intention of leaving,” Levi said evenly. “It’s obvious that Eren needs help running Ackermanshire, and I have every intention in doing just that. In fact, I’ve all ready sent Farlan to collect my men in Trost.”

Eren gapped at that. “Your men?”

Levi nodded. “The military cares little for men it no longer needs and most don’t know how to survive outside of it. When I received my title, I told my men that if they needed work that I would find it for them in Ackermanshire.”

“YOU IMBECILE! Do you have any idea of what you’ve done?!” Mikasa yelled. “You’ll put Eren and all of Ackermanshire in danger because of your-”

“ENOUGH!” Eren snapped and sent Mikasa a warning growl. “Mikasa, leave. With me abed you’ve more than enough work to do.”

“Bu-”

“I will handle this.” Eren snarled harshly and his eyes rimming threateningly in yellow, knowing he had to be firmer with her than the others. “Out.”

Mikasa clicked her teeth and shot Levi one more glare before leaving the room.

Eren reined in his wolfish traits and waited until he heard the sitting room door close, her steps dissipating into the distance. Sighing heavily, he practically collapsed back into the bed and said, “Well, we certainly have our work cut out for us.”

“You cannot deny you’re Lard Jaeger anymore,” Levi said, his voice and expression neutral, though his defensive alpha scent gave him away.

Eren kept his eyes on the door. “I dare say I cannot.”

“So, Lard Jaeger is actually Lady Jaeger,” Levi said more cautiously.

Eren looked over and gave Levi a sad, tired smile. Despite the drama of his health and the tension of the situation, he felt comfortable showing the truth of his condition to the alpha. “Or perhaps Lard Jaeger is merely Eren.”

Levi returned the smile as his features softened and he gave the hand he still held a comforting squeeze. “Only if Lord Ackerman can merely be Levi.”

“I can agree to that,” Eren said with a chuckle and the mood lightened considerably. “So, tell me about these men of yours.”

“Are you going to tell me what’s really going on here?”

“Would a foreign general be upfront with all his secrets?”

Levi pursed his lips at that, but Eren’s smirkish smile had him conceding. “I’ll earn your full trust eventually.”

“I’ve no doubt about that, alpha.” Eren grinned.

Something warm and prideful bloomed inside him at the nickname. “You’ve called me that before.”

“So I have,” Eren agreed. “Tell me about your men.”

“Tell me about your condition first,” Levi countered. “I need to know you’re all right. Annie said what happened wasn’t foreseen but it wasn’t unexpected either.”

Eren’s smile faded at that and he sighed, withdrawing into himself, but he didn’t have it in him to let go of the alpha’s hand. “For reasons I’m not about to get into right now, I have to take a concoction once a month that puts me to sleep for three or so days. I’m all ready predisposed to having terrible menstruations, but they’ve been getting worse—this one far exceeded the others. Annie believes the two are connected.”

Levi looked at Eren critically for a moment, weighing the truth of the story. Slowly, he said, “And you do not?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure it matters much since I can’t not take the concoction. Given the current state of things, to do so would eventually wear me out and kill me.”

The breath suddenly halted in Levi’s lungs and his heart squeezed painfully. He couldn’t lose Eren. Leaning forward, Levi brought his other hand to their clasped ones and held Eren’s feverishly warm hand between his. “What can I do to help?”

Eren smiled brilliantly. “You can tell me about your men.”

Levi rolled his eyes but smiled at the woman’s stubbornness. “They’re good men and well trained soldiers. Though, some of them are no longer physically whole and they all know about as much about farming as I do.”

“Are they strong?”

“And smart, but don’t tell them I said that.” Levi smirked.

Eren chuckled softly at that and then turned serious. “Good. Despite what Mikasa said, we need all the strength we can get. She, like many others, think things are fine the way they are, that we can keep going as we have been.”

“But you don’t,” Levi finished, sensing the change in the conversation.

“It’s not that I think it,” Eren said thoughtfully, solemnly. “It’s that I know it. Ackermanshire depends too much on the Jaegers, and that was fine twenty years ago, but now I’m the only one left and I can’t do this on my own.” Eren’s eyes turned pleading. “I need help.”

Levi looked Eren firmly in the eyes. “And I will help you, but you need to be up front with me about the current situation.”

“The most pressing matter is that the other clans know that we are weak. Your grandfather made it very clear that we are no longer protected by the Ackermans and on top of it he slaughtered all the Jaegers he could find, leaving the territory defenseless.”

Levi’s expression turned grim. “So Ackermanshire is at war.”

“Not exactly,” Even said slowly. “The Jaeger name is old and holds a considerable amount of weight and respect. There has been a skirmish or two, but most clans hope for a different kind of resolution.”

Levi quirked a brow at that, not liking where this was going.

Blushing, Eren lowered her eyes to their hands and said quietly, “I am of, um, a marriageable age.”

A harsh growl ripped from Levi’s chest the moment the words left Eren’s lips. The omega mentally preened at the sound of it and then he mentally chastised himself for it. Levi was a human, so his response didn’t matter, and yet… Eren scooted to the edge of the bed and rested his head in Levi’s lap, barring the back and side of his neck.

Levi immediately settled at the sight and ran his fingers through Eren’s soft hair, still damp from the washing the other women had given her after that nightmare in the bathing chamber. It was obvious to Levi that this woman had sacrificed so much for her clan and Ackermanshire, he would not allow her to sacrifice her marital rights as well. He still wasn’t sure all that needed to be done, but as he watched Eren’s eyes drift closed and her breathing slow, Levi was keenly aware that this is where he needed to be, that Eren was his new purpose in life, and that he would do whatever it took to keep her smiling.


	8. My Lord Hunter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by [Purple_Rayne17](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purple_Rayne17). If you've time, they've some really cute stories, go check them out!

Dawn was the waking hour, when the spirits slipped into their earthen beds and the living rose from their slumber. Eren loved the tranquility of such an hour, for it was one of the rare times that he could have a moment of silence—a blissful moment to himself, before the chaotic hustle and bustle of Ackermanshire preoccupied his every minute.

One normally wouldn’t think an estate with such a small, farming village would be so busy, but that was from a human perspective. The Wild Kin were more than just the castle and village occupants; there were also the kin of the forests, the mountains, and the river dwellers. Some lived deep below the earth, whilst others floated freely within the wind, and then there were those ruled by the sun, and those ruled by the moon. Big or small, night or day, breathing or not, they all lived under Jaeger protection. They were all Eren’s responsibility.

But in this moment, this waking hour, Eren was just Eren, and he was happily, peacefully, snuggled in the soft, warm sheets of a wondrous smelling alpha’s bed. He buried his smile in the plush pillows as he listened to Levi’s soft pitter-patter of footsteps in the adjoined room. Levi had not only allowed him to sleep in the alpha’s bed for the entirety of the night, but had remained by his side until a few minutes ago. Eren could not remember the last time he had slept so peacefully or so deeply. In fact, the only reason he had awoken at all was because he felt the loss of the alpha’s presence.

“I see you’re awake.”

Eren rolled over and smiled sleepily at Levi as he exited the wardrobe with a washed face and a fresh set of clothes.

“Good. I won’t have to bother waking you, then,” Levi continued as he adjusted his cravat. “You are to stay abed today. I will see to all necessary matters.”

“I beg your pardon?” Eren’s smile dropped like a lead weight and he sat up, internally regretting the action as his abdomen protested in exhausted pain.

“You heard me.” Levi rounded the bed and made to gently push Eren back into it, but Eren slapped his hand away.

Ignoring the human’s growl, Eren threw the covers off himself. “I will do no such thing.”

“This is a directive from your lord, housekeeper,” Levi warned, grabbing the covers and tossing them back over Eren.

He hissed at that and their eyes met in challenge as lord and housekeeper, as lord and laird, as human and wolf, as alpha and omega. Neither made a move, neither backed down. The air became thick between them, charged as if a sudden movement would ignite them both.

Eren’s instincts told him to back down, to bare his neck and lower his head in submission, but he couldn’t do that. He was desperate for it though, yet his position and pride as Laird Jaeger wouldn’t allow it. These were his lands, his people, just as much as they were Levi’s. It was his duty to protect and care for them. He didn’t have the luxury of staying abed.

“You’re shaking,” Levi said gently, his eyes softening. They were so close that his words were a light caress on Eren’s skin.

Eren flushed, but stubbornly refused to admit the truth—that his muscles were begging to rest, to return to the soft, downy pillows and bed cushions. The excruciating cramping from yesterday had left him sore and lethargic. He felt so dreadfully fragile. But he couldn’t admit that, he couldn’t-

Levi reached up and tucked a bit of hair behind Eren’s ear. The alpha’s fingers were rough, calloused, but his touch was feather soft, gentle. “Yesterday you said you needed my help, so let me help you.”

Tilting into the touch, Eren bit his lip. He knew he had to trust this alpha, this human; the survival of Ackermanshire depended on it. He couldn’t do this on his own and with each passing heat he felt himself become fainter, dimmer, more transparent. He was aware his time was limited; that at the rate he was going the Nexus would call him home before the age of thirty. Thus was the life of the Key.

But he couldn’t trust blindly. The Ackermans had not been good to them. The humans of Sina had slaughtered and abandoned the Wild Kin that they had forced rule over. Levi was both of those things—human and Ackerman. But what other options did he have? Who could he trust his territory to? Could he trust the other clans who had shown him nothing but greed and the thirst for power? Or should he follow his omegan instincts and trust Levi?

“Eren?”

He looked up into those steel gray eyes that gave far more away than the entirety of Levi’s unexpressive demeanor. Those eyes were guarded, unsure, but also incredibly kind, and Eren was sure that the soul behind those eyes felt far more deeply than Levi would ever let on.

With a soft, defeated sigh, Eren lay back. “You should check the border with Connie, get the lay of the land, but wait to enter the village until I can go with you. They’re a very skittish lot.”

A subtle smile crossed Levi’s lips. “Thank you. I’ll do that.”

“And since you’ll be in the forest, be respectful should you see any wolves. The pack here is not to be harmed,” Eren warned firmly.

“Wolves?” Levi arched a brow.

“A russet one and two small ones. These lands are as much theirs as they are yours and they protect it. Should you bring harm to them, the villagers are likely to lay waste to the lands and abandon you.”

Levi felt the power of the housekeeper’s words and he stared into her stern, teal gaze. Though he couldn’t share the obvious respect held for such mongrels, he understood the severity of the warning. He gave Eren a curt nod and stood.

“I shall take the utmost care to keep my distance from such creatures.”

“Distance isn’t necessary, just be kind to them and they will return the favour.”

“Very well.” Levi took one of Eren’s hands and gave it a slight squeeze. “Just stay abed today.”

Eren rolled her eyes and a tiny, bashful smile spread across her lips. “You’ll likely find Connie in the stables.”

“And Mikasa?” he asked, his thumb gently running back and forth over the tops of her fingers. Eren’s hands were surprisingly large for a woman’s, but thin, her fingers long and narrow, with thick callouses along the underside.

A strange, low sound emanated from Eren, like the purr of a cat, but quieter and her cheeks flushed a heavy red. Levi found the sound pleasing and a subtle smile crossed his lips. He chuckled soundlessly when Eren pulled her fingers from his and buried them under the blankets before she was able to answer.

“Assisting Sasha in the kitchens until the morning meal and then handing out everyone’s duties for the day since I’m not there,” she said.

“Stay. In. Bed.” Levi said, patting the blanket above her leg with each word, and then quickly forced himself to leave. It would have been far too easy to converse with Eren until sunset, which was an unusual revelation for Levi to have. He really wasn’t much of a people person.

As he approached the stairway, Levi’s leg was already protesting—an unfortunate side effect of spending the night in a wooden chair—so he slowed his pace. The day had hardly begun and would likely be very long, he needed to make sure that old, ridiculous wound wouldn’t hinder him overly much.

Entering the kitchen, Levi found Miss Blouse, Miss Mikasa, and little Marie busy preparing the morning’s fare. It was again an absurd amount of overly grandiose food. The sight had Levi’s eyes narrowing in annoyance.

“Morning, ladies,” he said by way of announcement. “Miss Blouse, is this what the servants normally break their fasts with?”

Miss Blouse’s eyes doubled in size and she froze, the dough falling from her floured grasp. “Oh, um…”

“This is your meal, Lord Ackerman,” Miss Mikasa supplied, her eyes anything but kind.

Levi clicked his teeth and shot the butler a warning look. “I thought we cleared up this misunderstanding the other night, but apparently not. So, let me make myself clear: I am a simple, military man—these nobleman’s foods are too rich for my palate and I’ve no qualms eating the same foods that the rest of you.”

He turned his gaze to Miss Blouse. “A small bit of bread and cheese will do, enough for two, please. I wish to inspect the border with Mr. Springer, and I’d rather not wait until after the morning meal.”

“Y-yes, milord!” Miss Blouse stuttered and began gathering the requested items in a piece of cheesecloth.

“But what are we to do with all this food, milord?” little Marie asked, her eyes wide as she stared at all of the delicious meats and vegetables.

“You lot get to eat it,” Levi said as if stating the obvious.

Marie’s face lit up and she licked her lips. “Really?”

Levi gave her a flat look and then ignored the child, returning his attention back to the grumpy butler. “I realise you’re busy, but I’ve asked Eren to stay abed today. Make sure that she has everything she needs.”

Miss Mikasa raised an eyebrow in doubt, but nodded, saying nothing.

As he took the bundle of food and a flask of water from Miss Blouse, he turned his attention to her. “And when you have a moment, Miss Blouse, I require a list of all the supplies we shall need to last the winter. Keep in mind that my man will be bringing additional men within a week’s time. You may give the list to Eren, and I shall discuss it with her when I return.”

“Oh, uh, yes, milord.” Miss Blouse gave a jerky nod and then looked to Mikasa.

“Miss Mikasa is not your lord, Miss Blouse,” Levi said firmly and then looked at all three females as a whole. “From now on Eren and I shall be seeing to the wellbeing of Ackermanshire, and the lot of you would do well to get that through your thick skulls quickly.”

Without waiting for a reply, Levi turned sharply about face and left the kitchens. As he exited the castle, he was met with a sharp, crisp wind, though not quite cold yet. He looked about the bailey in the dim, morning light. It was still early autumn, but nearly all the leaves had already turned, filling the skies with vibrant reds and fiery oranges. Southern Sina would still have green trees and months of warm winds, but up in these northern lands Levi wondered if he should be expecting the first snow before the end of October.

Though the war had spanned centuries, it had never reached this far north, and Levi had never experienced a proper snow. As he crossed the bailey, he wondered what it would be like. The stories told by old soldiers had always made it seem peaceful—a world covered entirely in white—it had sounded like a paradise compared to the muddy, blood soaked and shrapnel spattered world they had all grown up in. Levi filled his lungs with fresh, cool air. All of Ackermanshire was a strange world to him, even painted in autumn colours.

The stables were located on the east side of the bailey. It was a two-story structure made of cobblestone and repaired with wood where large sections of the walls appeared to have been destroyed. The repairs looked fairly new, probably done within the last few years. The creeping foliage had not yet consumed those sections yet. Entering the stables, Levi found them surprisingly both warm and remarkably clean. Sure, the smell of horse hung in the air, but it wasn’t filled with feces and the floors were covered in fresh rushes.

“Hello?” he called out as he passed several draught horses and came to the Hackneys he had brought, along with his Friesian, but saw no sign of the stable boy.

Rounding the corner, Levi came face-to-face with a rather fluffy Gypsy horse. He stopped as it whipped its long, white mane about and stomped its hooves angrily in the middle of the corridor. Levi looked around but kept a weary eye on the horse. Where the bloody hell was that stable lad and why was this horse not in its stall? The horse huffed and then reared up. Levi quickly stepped back.

“Don’t mind his fit. He just misses Eren.”

Levi spun half around, keeping both the crazed horse and the newcomer in sight. “This is Eren’s horse?”

“Aye,” the boy said. He was no older than sixteen, seventeen at most, and his head was shaven. Holding out his gloved hand, the boy said, “Connie Springer, sir.”

Levi gave the hand a firm shake. “Why isn’t he in his stall?”

“Titan, here, breaks down the stall door if you close it on him. He won’t go far from Eren, so we just let him be,” Connie said as he cautiously approached the beast and threw a blanket over the horse’s back. Titan calmed immediately. Turning from the horse, Connie asked, “So, will you be needing a horse, sir?”

Levi nodded. “Yes. My Friesian will do. You and I will be inspecting the border this morning.”

Connie’s eyebrow rose, but then he nodded. “No horses, then. We’ll have to go on foot—the horses can’t manage the terrain around here once you leave the roads.”

Levi paled. No horses? Damnation. He forced his hand to remain still, to not give away his old wound. His leg would hurt like hell by nightfall, but if he had managed the battlefields along the southern Sinan border and the plains of Rosenwand, he could certainly manage the blasted countryside.

That was what he thought, at least.

By mid-morning he was proven wrong.

Drenched in sweat, Levi’s culottes stuck uncomfortably to his legs and he was certain his shirt was nearly translucent as he climbed yet another small cliffside. Ackermanshire was beautiful, to be sure, with clean streams and numerous waterfalls surrounded by thick, lush forests, but these damned cliffs and mountain trails were going to be the death of him. As Levi pulled himself over the cliff’s edge, he could feel his nail beds bleed. His thigh burned, the pain reminiscent of when he got the wound.

“We should rest for a bit here, sir,” Connie said from his perch on a moss-covered tree trunk, which had likely fallen long ago.

Levi didn’t have the breath to argue as he took the spot next to the boy, shuffling his pistol to the side as he sat. Despite his leg, Levi was physically fit. He had fought and trained daily with his men, yet four hours of climbing the Ackermanshire countryside had him exhausted, whilst the damned boy half his age had barely broken a sweat. It was bloody ridiculous!

“Bit of water, sir?” Connie asked, passing the leather drinking flask.

After taking a swig, Levi returned the flask and looked around the forest. The trees were thick here, and tall, and the border wall was nothing more than an overgrown pile of stone no more than three feet high. The possible age of this forest left Levi astounded, yet the woods did not feel old. There was an aged feeling, yes, but more like that of a proud, old warrior, than a decrepit, old man. And it was peaceful, tranquil, yet Levi could also sense that this forest held many ancient secrets. In fact, being in the forest gave him a similar feeling to being in the same room as Eren. The only difference was that Eren’s presence also filled him with a needing, edgy sensation that he had yet to decipher.

“How often do you inspect the border?” Levi asked once he had caught his breath.

“I only do it when Eren is indisposed,” Connie said. He was nibbling on his half of the bread and cheese that Miss Blouse had packed. “Otherwise, Eren does it every day.”

“Bloody hell, how does that woman have the time?”

Connie had the decency to blush as he admitted, “Typically only takes Eren an hour or two.”

“Excuse me?” Levi turned to the boy, his eyes hard with disbelief. That was simply not possible without some means of transportation.

“Um…” Connie scratched the top of his stubbled head. “Eren only does sections at a time?”

It was a lie. Levi’s eyes narrowed, but he couldn’t decipher why the boy would lie, and he had a feeling pressing Springer wouldn’t earn him any favors. Standing his ground in the kitchen had been one thing, but Springer was defending the mythos that was Eren Jaeger. Despite the impossibility of the housekeeper doing all the tasks everyone was saying she did, Levi could not go against it. He had to be seen on the same side as Eren, not opposite, so he let the lie rest.

“We should keep going,” Levi said as he stood, ignoring the shaking protest in his leg. “We’re not even halfway around Ackermanshire, are we?”

Connie kept his eyes anywhere but on Levi as he replied, “Uh, no.”

Levi sighed, annoyed. “At our current pace, how long would it take to go all the way around?”

“We’re making a good pace,” Connie said and headed off.

“Springer,” Levi said warningly.

The boy didn’t stop or look back as he admitted, “About a week, sir.”

Levi swore.

It would be another five or so hours before anything of interest would occur. In that time Connie spoke very little, only ever to point out subtle wayfinding markers, such as a massive wych elm that had deep claw marks dug into a section that was bent toward the ground and pointed toward the Ashen Mound. As to what the Ashen Mound was was a mystery. When asked, Connie said little more than ‘an old ruin with a dirt road that leads back to the castle.’ It appeared that most of the markers pointed to the Ashen Mound.

By the time the fifteenth hour had come and gone, Levi cared naught for Ashen Mound or wayfinding marks or anything else. His mind burned with the throbbing pain in his leg, but he kept walking, kept climbing, and spoke nothing of it. He wouldn’t even allow himself to limp. He kept pace with Connie and kept quiet. It wouldn’t do to allow a subordinate to be cognizant of his weakness—but bloody hell, what he wouldn't do for a cup of tea and a nice, cushioned chair. Mayhaps even Eren-

Connie stilled; his hand shot up. Levi stopped. The solider in him came to the forefront, his attention on the boy, but his awareness taking measure of the forest around them. He sensed no danger. His hand went to his pistol anyway. Connie’s head snapped toward the east, further in to Ackermanshire. His body sunk low and he signaled for Levi to follow.

Pulling his gun from its holster, Levi did so. They moved quickly, yet quietly through the forest, neither making much noise on the leafy underbrush. The pain in Levi’s leg forgotten. The air was tense, the forest silent except for the normal bird song. It was obvious to Levi as they moved through the trees that the lad was more than a stable hand; Connie was likely a well-trained hunter, at the very least.

Coming upon a small stream that curved through the forest floor, the pair once again came to a stop. Levi immediately counted five and his jaw clenched—two adults, a man and a woman, and three children between the ages of two and six. Their bodies had been torn apart, the woman likely raped, her clothing nowhere to be found. The children lay in the stream, their blood flowing south with the water.

Levi knelt by the oldest child and lifted her shoulder. Make that six, the infant likely drowned in the stream, pinned by the weight of its dead sibling. He looked toward Connie, whose eyes carefully surveyed the area.

“It was likely this morning or last night,” Levi said nonchalantly. “They’re hardly warm. Were they villagers?”

Connie shook his head and studied Levi carefully. “You don’t seem affected by this.”

Levi stood and holstered his pistol. “I’ve seen more death than any sane man could count.”

“In the war?”

Levi nodded and looked around. “This looks like the work of beasts, but the woman’s rape suggests otherwise. I don’t see any tracks. Their killers likely followed them down the stream.” He turned to Connie. “Where does it lead?”

The boy’s eyes widened and then he threw back his head as a loud howl ripped from his throat. Levi drew his pistol as Connie yipped thrice and then howled once more.

“What the hell was that?” Levi spat as Connie’s howl finished.

“I’ve sounded the alarm,” Connie said. “The stream connects to the river that feeds into the loch near the castle. We don’t have defenses capable of handling a pack this size if they go after Eren.”

“Damnation.” Levi looked at the bodies once again. They all died relatively close together. It would have taken four, maybe five men to take them out. He looked at the sun. It was still relatively early; sunset wouldn’t be for another few hours. He looked around again, the trees were thick here, they could provide good coverage, and sturdy, they could handle his weight. 

The problem was that they didn’t know which way the intruders went. If their goal was merely to kill this family, then they may have gone back the way they came. However, if their goal was the castle—was Eren—then this family was likely just casualty.

Turning back to the boy, Levi ordered, “You take the stream north. Howl three times if you reach the border without finding them. If you do find them, follow them to the border and then circle back to the castle.”

“And you?” Connie asked cautiously.

Levi checked his pistol. “If I find them, I’ll take care of them.”

Connie’s eyes widened. “But-”

“I gave you an order, Springer,” Levi growled and stared the young boy down until Connie nodded and lowered his head. Turning, Connie ran north, up the stream.

Levi watched him for a moment, before heading south. The old, familiar feeling of adrenaline coursed through his veins, dulling the pain in his leg and sharpening his senses. It had been months since he had been on a battlefield and longer still since he had hunted down the enemy. The familiarity of it warmed him; it soothed a part of him that had been restless since the war ended. Levi was a soldier, a warrior, he wasn’t made for carriage rides and lording around a bunch of farmers. He would take care of Ackermanshire because it was his duty, but this—hunting and killing—this is what he was made for, what he had been bred for.

He followed the stream for about an hour before it merged into a small river. It was then that he noticed how quiet the forest had become. No songbirds. No animals. The only sounds were of the wind and the cascading river, which was becoming too deep to easily traverse. Climbing out, Levi took a moment to survey the land.

If the intruders headed toward the castle, they would be smart to stick with the river. The water would mask their scent and the land was easier to maneuver here than it had been at the border. It still wasn’t easy, though. If they were going to attack, then their best course of action would be to rest somewhere until nightfall and then attack when everyone went to bed.

Levi sighed. Connie was the only man of fighting age he had seen at the castle and Mikasa had said that most in Ackermanshire were women due to the draft. This place really was defenseless. The bastards were possibly after Eren. Levi held back a low growl. He wouldn’t think on that. He had to focus on the task at hand: eliminating the potential threat.

Staying low to the ground, Levi moved through the forest. He kept the river in sight to his right as he looked for any trackable signs. It didn’t take long. He knelt down to look. They weren’t hiding their presence overly much. A smart squad would walk in a single line, it made it more difficult to figure out how many there were, but these men were flanked out. Levi counted maybe ten different sets of tracks. Damn. Five or six he could manage easily enough, ten would be difficult—not impossible though.

Three long howls sounded from the north.

Levi looked up. That was quick. Perhaps if the boy made it to him just as quickly they could take the intruders out together, but Levi didn’t want to rely on that. Connie appeared to be a good hunter, that didn’t make him a good killer. He would have to do it on his own. He just hoped he found them in time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, so I managed to get a new job despite pandemic shittiness, so yay to that, but I've already noticed how much it cuts into my writing time. It really all depends on when my days off are & how long my shifts are, but I'm gonna try my damnedest to stick to biweekly posts for all of my stories, but at the very least I want to keep with the rotations of the stories.


	9. A Mere Skirmish, Milord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by [Purple_Rayne17](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purple_Rayne17).

Eren looked up from his paperwork and slipped off his reading glasses as he heard Mikasa’s hurried footsteps approaching Levi’s rooms. The past few hours had been relatively peaceful, and he had been able to get an astonishing amount of paperwork done as he sat before the lit hearth in the sitting room, curled up under a warm fur. Little Marie had even brought him a tray of herbal tea a short time ago. It was a wonderful floral blend. Sasha really was getting quite good with her flavour experiments.

The door sprung open and Mikasa leveled him with an astonished glare. “I cannot believe you’re listening to that human.”

Eren calmly folded his glasses and set them on the side table along with his papers. The edges of his mind bristled at the obvious disrespect for the human alpha, but he reminded himself that, for this to work, it would take time to build trust and respect on both sides. Calmly, he said, “Mika, are you incapable of handling the castle in my stead for a single day?”

“Of course not!” the caesg practically hissed the words.

“Then why not allow Levi this opportunity and see what he’s capable of?”

“The only thing Ackermans are capable of is destroying everything they touch!” she spat.

“Does that include your father and yourself, Mikasa Ackerman?” Eren snapped, his eyes flashing gold in warning.

His foster sister visibly flinched and Eren immediately softened. “I’m sorry, Mika. I know the Ackermans have not been good to us, but your father was a good man, and I believe Levi may be too. We cannot judge based on blood alone. You, at the very least, are proof of that.”

Mikasa shuffled her feet and looked away. “I don’t trust him.”

“I’m not asking you to trust him, not immediately, anyway. I’m asking you to give him a chance. We may not have many more.”

Her head snapped up at that. “What do you mean?”

“Eren means that he’s dying. Is that not correct, Laird Jaeger?”

Eren rolled his eyes and sighed as Armin and Annie entered the room. He had told that damned cat not to get the druid. Obviously, Annie had not listened. He shouldn’t have expected her too, she rarely did.

“I haven’t yet forgiven you, druid,” he said instead of answering.

“What does he mean, Eren?” Mikasa demanded, rounding on the wolf. She knelt before him, her glassy eyes wide and fearful.

Eren shot Armin a pointed look, before taking his sister’s hands in his and giving them a squeeze. “Never mind him. Armin’s wont to spout nonsense lately.”

“You think yesterday was nonsense?” Annie chimed in. “You filled a tub with blood. Had you been a human, you would have died.”

“Tell me the truth!” Mikasa pulled her hands from his and then wrapped his hands in hers, squeezing them back as she pleaded, “Eren, don’t hide from me. You’re my only family.”

Eren sighed and his shoulders slumped. He looked down at the caesg he had loved as a sister, blood or not, for the entirety of his three and twenty years. They had always had each other’s backs, even when the other pups tormented him for being a male omega. Armin had been there too, but it was not the same. Armin fought with words, with logic; Mikasa would take a punch for him and pay it back with interest. He loved her, she was the only family he had left, and he had wanted to hide this from her for as long as possible. Apparently, that was no longer an option.

“Mikasa,” he said as he looked her straight in the eyes, his own calm, accepting of the situation, “I do not want you to worry. I know you will, but there really is no need. This isn’t a fight. There’s no one you can hit in my defense. This is just my fate, my purpose.

‘As you know, I was born the Key. I hear the Land’s call and I protect the Nexus from those who would misuse it, but the Nexus also draws power from me—it is as connected to me as I am it. Without a sustainable source tying me to this world, I will eventually fade from existence and return to the Nexus.”

“A sustainable source? What does that mean?” Mikasa asked, looking from Armin and Annie to Eren and back. “Can we not get this source for Eren?”

Armin shook his head. “He means an alpha bond.”

Mikasa’s head snapped to Eren, her eyes accusing. “Sasha said Lord Ackerman smelled slightly like an alpha. Is that why you’re letting him do as he pleases? Eren, this is insane! There are other alpha, _wolves_ from other packs.”

Eren wanted nothing more in that moment than to slam his head into the cobblestone. They all thought it so easy—just get an alpha and the whole problem would go away! No one ever thought about compatibility or the fact that Eren wasn’t just any omega, but a _male omega,_ one who so happened to find himself not particularly attracted to females, alpha or not. In fact, the only one who had ever piqued his interest outside of his one-handed fantasies had been Levi—and that alpha was a damned _human!_

And no one even gave the slightest consideration to the fact that maybe, just maybe, Eren did not want to have this conversation. In fact, though they had not talked about it in much detail, Levi had thus far been the only one to give Eren any space on the matter. Sure, they never finished their conversation last night, but Levi had seemed perturbed at the very notion of Eren just marrying anyone. It had been a comforting thought for Eren.

Taking a deep breath to hold his temper in, Eren was abruptly cut off as a high-pitched howl sliced through the air. He jumped from his seat. The blanket and papers went flying as he raced across the room and threw open the window. It was Connie: intruders; six dead; stream west of the Ashen Mound. Eren’s claws sprung forth and dug into the windowsill.

Turning from the window, he ordered, “Annie, make for the village. Have everyone go to the caves. Armin, sound the alarm in the forests. Mikasa, you do the same in the loch.”

“What?” Mikasa stood. “What’s going on?”

“Ackermanshire has been invaded,” Eren said sternly. “Now go!”

The three moved without hesitation and ran from the room. Eren hesitated. He turned back to the window and looked out at the vast expanse of forest that encircled most of Ackermanshire. Somewhere out there a pack of wolves invaded his domain. Somewhere out there was Levi. He could tell just by looking at Levi that the man was strong, but Eren’s mind drifted to that injured leg. It was an old wound, but it obviously still caused terrible pain. Could he stand his own against the brute strength of a wolf?

“Please,” Eren whispered into the wind, “come back to me, alpha.”

He looked out the window for but a moment longer, before closing it and hurrying from the room. There was much to do. If Ackermanshire was to be attacked, he would defend it.

Levi sat in a tree as the sun settled behind the mountains. He found the enemy about an hour ago and surveyed them as they moved around their small camp. He had been correct—there were thirteen of them, all men by the look of it, and all impossibly large. The good, albeit puzzling, news was that he had yet to spot a single weapon on them. How did they intend to fight without weapons? How had they killed that family? The murders had been brutal, but the marks on the bodies seemed too sharp for fingernails.

Levi looked to the sky. It had to be around 17:00 now and the sun had begun to set in earnest. It would be dark within the hour. As the enemy began to pack up their camp, Levi knew that he had to make his move. He could not allow them to get any closer to the castle—to Eren. The thought of these savages so much as getting near his housekeeper sent a rumbling growl reverberating in the back of his throat. Levi checked his pistol. He’d be damned and buried before he let their filthy hands on her.

Releasing the safety, Levi used the thick tree branches to reposition himself. He felt the warm sun on the back of his neck and took a deep, steadying breath. The air was crisp, from the north, but calm. It wouldn’t affect his shots overmuch. He put more weight on his right leg, the muscle shook, but it would hold if needed. He shifted to his left. He didn’t have much ammo, fifteen shots, he’d make each one count. After that, it would be down to a knife fight. He had a pair of daggers stored in his boots.

Levi closed his eyes, soaked in the environment—the sounds, the smell, the feel of the air, the sun, the thick bark under his boots. He filled his lungs, opened his eyes, took aim, and released his breath as the first shot sliced through the air. By the time the bullet slipped into the man’s ear and the gray matter of his brain had splattered on the man next to him, Levi had already repositioned himself in another tree. He took out two more before the enemy had fully reacted. And now began the game of tag. Ten more to go, twelve bullets.

Eren stood in the bailey with his pack: a witch, a caesg, a coyote, and a druid. The fae and other non-combatants of Ackermanshire had retreated to the old mountain caves just before five o’clock, and now they had to make their move before the intruders had the cover of darkness. He knew that the Wild Kin of Nature, those pacifist species that personified the plants, and land, and air, and water, would assist, but they would not kill. That was left to the hybrids and predatorial Wild Kin, like the wolves. He looked at his friends, his family, as he stood by Titan and wished he did not have to drag them into battle again. He did not want blood on their hands, yet he saw no hesitation in the eyes looking back at him.

Giving a curt nod, Eren mounted his horse and the others followed suit. They rode fast and hard out of the castle gate, Armin and Mikasa guarding his sides, and Annie and Sasha took the flanks. As they charged forward, Eren could hear the land murmur beneath Titan’s hooves, it cried out in fear as war was enacted upon it. They entered the forest within minutes and the murmurs turned into a roar. The voices of the spirits echoed in Eren’s mind: _‘Help, Eren!’ ‘Protect the Land!’ ‘Intruders, Eren!’_ Their voices spurred him on as Titan practically flew along the path leading to the Ashen Mound.

_‘He’s taking them on by himself?!’_

Eren’s head snapped toward that voice and his eyes widened as a shot rang through the forest. Levi. Cold fear pierced him, and then the burning rush as his body began to shake.

A firm hand grabbed his wrist, grounding him. “Stick to the plan.”

Eren growled at Armin, but the druid did not let go.

“You charge ahead and we can’t protect you. We lose you, we lose Ackermanshire,” Armin argued.

His voice was a calm contrast to the chaos in Eren’s mind. It settled him and cooled him back down. Eren took a deep breath and Armin let go. Two more shots went out and Eren clenched his jaw. _Hold on, alpha, we’re coming._

Levi pulled back, staying within the trees and the sunlight, and leading the enemy away from the castle. He easily jumped and swung from tree to tree—a suitable branch always seemingly nearby. If Levi didn’t know better, he’d nearly think that the trees were repositioning themselves for him. He used the tactics he had learned from a lifetime of war and aimed for vitals, his hand steady, his emotions locked away. He felt nothing as he covered the forest floor with their entrails.

He got down to five when things went to hell. These ones were larger, their instincts sharper, their movements faster. But that wasn’t what troubled Levi. He had taken out large elites before. He had the largest one in his sights when the impossible happened: the man threw his head back and howled as Connie had done, but then his clothes tore as his body twisted and cracked. In seconds the man was no longer a man, but a large, black wolf. The other four transformed as well and quickly surrounded Levi’s tree. He took aim at one, but as wolves they were quicker and easily dodged his shot.

“Shit.”

They had reached the Ashen Mound, a large clearing encircled by stone pillars, when a bone-chilling howl went out—that wasn’t Connie. Eren did not think. He leapt from Titan, his bones twisting, his flesh stretching, and when he landed his paws barely touched the dirt before he sprung forward. He barely registered Mikasa landing on his back as he tore through the forest. The scent of blood and the sounds of wolves led him onward.

The beasts tore at the tree Levi was in, their sharp claws shredding the thick bark. Then the largest one charged the tree, ramming its side into the trunk. The tree cracked, Levi swore. He was out of bullets and stuck in a damned tree with only the pair of daggers he now held to defend him against the supernatural. Bloody, fucking hell. If he somehow, miraculously, made it out of this, Eren was going to have some goddamn explaining to do. He was supposed to be lording over a bunch of backwater farmers, not fighting fairytales!

“I know I just slaughtered most of you brutes—quite effortlessly, by the way—but you wouldn’t fancy a little chat, would you?” Levi called from his tree.

The pack of wolves responded by ramming the tree again.

Yeah, he didn’t think so either. Levi inhaled deeply and leapt. He jammed his daggers into the shoulders of one of the wolves as he landed, and then flipped off the mutt. Spinning, he sliced into the side of another, barely dodged the jaws of a third, and climbed back into the trees.

The pack growled and snapped at him. They circled and followed him as he moved from tree to tree. He looked for openings and jumped down when he could, inflicted some damage and wore them down, before climbing back up. The strategy was working. He had managed to kill two more of them, but the three left were not the only ones getting tired.

Levi’s lungs burned as he looked down at the last of the pack from his perch. Just three more. He forced oxygen through his system. Just three fucking more. He stepped to the right, preparing for another dive, then pain blackened his vision and his leg gave out. He fell. As he came to a branch sprung forward. Levi latched on. The air left him as he slammed into it. His daggers continued onwards and found purchase in the ground.

The big, black wolf leapt, its teeth snapping a breath away from Levi’s foot. He cursed, struggling to pull himself up as the wolf jumped again. Then, out of nowhere, a much bigger wolf rammed into the black one and Levi heard nothing but the shattering of bones and a harsh yowl. As Levi steadied himself on the branch, the massive, russet wolf easily destroyed the remaining enemies.

“You really are a monkey, aren’t you? Filthy human.”

Levi blinked. It talked? No. That voice was familiar. His eyes scanned the wolf, his vision still spotted, but he spotted her—that stubborn butler was astride the wolf, wielding a pair of blood covered swords.

“What? Too afraid to come down?” Mikasa said as she glared back. “There’s no need, monkey, I took care of them for you.”

The wolf looked back with sharp, yellow eyes and growled at her.

“You mean your mutt took care of my scraps,” Levi shot back, “but I’ll stay up here a bit longer. I fancy a bit of a breather after taking care of the other ten on my own.”

Mikasa’s eyes widened at that, but she said nothing as the others arrived. Armin, Miss Blouse, and Miss Annie, unarmed, came from the way the russet wolf had and another, vastly smaller, mutt came from the north a moment later. Levi watched as the mutt transformed, its body snapping and twisting more painfully than the others had, until a very naked and panting Connie stood beside the russet wolf.

Levi pinched the bridge of his nose. “Well, this is just getting more believable by the second. At least Eren had the good mind to listen to me and stay abed.”

As Levi once again looked down at the lot of them, the russet wolf effortlessly transformed. Levi’s breath was caught deep in his throat as the beast’s wild hair receded into smooth, tanned skin, bones silently shifted, and suddenly his housekeeper stood at the base of his tree, dressed perfectly in Jaeger tartan, her hair in a neat bun at the base of her head. Her piercing teal eyes looked up at him and Levi laughed, because of course Eren had not listened to him and of course she was a monstrous wolf. Bloody hell, what he wouldn’t give for a cup of tea and some normalcy right now—and a nap, a nap would be lovely.


	10. My Lady of the Ashen Mound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new year, a new chapter! New Year's resolution? Get better about posting regularly >_< I'm attempting posting dates, they'll be stated on my profile. 
> 
> Beta'd by [Purple_Rayne17](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purple_Rayne17).

Eren listened to the sound of the alpha’s laughter and he felt all the individual nerves in his body relax. Levi was alright—he was laughing like a madman sat high in a tree, but by the gods he was still whole. Eren could almost cry with relief. He had seen enough. The alpha was a fierce warrior, agile and graceful as he had fought that pack in a way Eren had never seen anyone move between the trees before, not even the elven-kin. But then the man had fallen from the tree and Eren’s heart had nearly given out. Bless Ghillie Dhu for controlling the old birch and catching Levi before that bastard alpha wolf had gotten him.

With a soft smile, he reached out to his coyotes. _‘Sasha, Connie, take Mikasa and retrieve the fallen. Send Armin and Annie to relay our good fortune: the threat is no more thanks to Lord Ackerman.’_

 _‘You will give Lord Ackerman the credit, milaird?’_ Connie mentally asked now that he was close enough for them to connect.

 _‘Tis the truth,’_ was all Eren said, his eyes never leaving the monkey high in the tree.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Sasha tug Armin and Annie back toward the Ashen Mound. Connie tried to do the same with Mikasa, but the ceasg dug her heels in. Eren sighed. Unfortunately, the mental connection only worked with wolves and coyotes. Even though he considered his sister to be part of his pack, she would not hear his voice no matter how close they were.

Pulling his eyes from the alpha, Eren whispered, “Please help the others retrieve all of the fallen.”

“I’m not about to leave you alone with that monkey,” Mikasa said as she sheathed her dual blades.

Eren’s teal eyes turned dark gold and shimmered with power. In a low, firm whisper, he said, “Do you honestly believe me to be so weak that I need your constant protection?”

Mikasa frowned and bowed her head. “I meant no disrespect.”

“We have already had this discussion, Mika. Go retrieve the fallen.”

“Yes, milaird,” the ceasg murmured and then left reluctantly with the coyote.

Levi watched it all from his perch, his laughter having died away with the abrupt shift in Eren’s persona. He could sense the power within her and it pleased something deep inside of him. It was a strange sensation, taking such pride in another, but it wasn’t wholly unwelcomed. He knew Eren was strong, and not just strong for a woman. Eren was strong. Period. It was a strength he wanted to test, to see how far it went, but in comradery, not in challenge.

When the others had left and it was them two alone, Levi relaxed against the thick tree trunk. For some reason he had no desire to put up a front for Eren at the moment—not that she wouldn’t see right through it anyway. Though they knew each other so little, Levi had the firm sense that Eren could read him nearly as well as a book, as if they had known each other their whole lives. Did it perhaps have something to do with her inhumanity? Actually, on that note-

“What the bloody hell are you?” Levi asked from the safety of his tree.

Eren smirked up at him with knowing, teal eyes. “Why don’t you come down here and find out?”

“Though I’ve no red hood, I’d rather stay up here. Cheers. This tree is actually quite comfortable—if you fancy jagged bark jammed into your backside.”

Eren laughed. It was a deep belly laugh that lit up the dimming sunset and echoed through the forest, bring peace and warmth wherever it was heard. It eased something inside of Levi and his lips twitched in a vague ghost of a smile. He was comfortable here, with Eren, far more so than he was with anyone else, including Erwin or Farlan.

“I fear you’ve read one too many children’s tales, my good Lord Ackerman. Wolves do not eat humans.” Eren grinned. “Unless they’ve been naughty, of course.”

The comfortability mixed with the adrenaline high from the fight, and it made Levi’s normal guards fall away, and he found himself saying, “Well, I’ve been especially naughty,” with a playful wink.

Eren burst into another fit of laughter, this one lighter, more airy and innocent as her face flared into a deep, ruby blush. “My word, Levi, you certainly are. Now, come down here before I get a crick in my neck.”

“Hmm…” Levi hummed in faux thought.

“Please alpha?” Eren whispered so softly Levi nearly didn’t hear it, but he did, and he melted at the sound of it. Carefully, Levi began to climb down, cautious not to apply too much pressure to his leg.

As Levi made his way down from his perch, Eren was filled with trepidation. He had already seen Levi fall from it once, and that had been enough. Stepping forward, he made the appeal: “My dear Ghillie Dhu of the Birch, if we could have your assistance once more, blessed friend.”

The tree creaked and groaned as a branch twisted around Levi, who released an embarrassingly prepubescent yelp, followed by a colourful string of curses that Eren had never heard before. Eren chuckled softly and bowed his head in thanks to the dark-haired, dwarven fae clothed in the camouflage of leaves and moss. As Levi was gently placed on the ground and the tree returned to its natural state, the kindly spirit gave Eren a shy wave and then disappeared back into the woods.

Straightening his frock coat, Levi cleared his throat and said, “What the devil was that?”

Eren gave him a patient smile. “Perhaps you should first give your thanks to Ghillie Dhu and the dryad for keeping you from splattering on the forest floor.”

Levi blinked. “Who and what?”

“Ghillie Dhu and the dryad. They moved the trees for you.”

“Oh, uh, well…” Levi looked around and then back at Eren. “Where are they?”

“It would be odd if you could see them when they are not making it intentionally so,” Eren explained, though he could see them due to his connection with the Nexus. “However, even if they are not near, they can hear all within their forest.”

“Right.” Levi turned back to the forest. He was quiet for a moment, and then said with a surprising genuineness, “My thanks, Ghillie Dhu, dryads. I owe you a debt of gratitude that I am unsure if I can repay, but call upon me if you are ever in need.”

Eren’s eyes widened softly and then his heart swelled with a warm hope. The wild kin had faded into humanity’s folklore, their mythologies. Most did not believe they existed, and those that did feared the wild kin, wanted them dead—many of the wild kin were near extinction because humans thought them Lucifer’s kin. These northern lands were one of the few places that the wild kin had been able to survive because the humans determined the land unlivable.

Yet, this human, who smelled so strangely like an alpha but did not smell like a wolf, had so sincerely thanked the wild kin that he could not see. Eren’s eyes filled with tears and he could not help himself, he flung himself at the human. With another yelp from Levi, they tumbled to the ground as Eren hugged him fiercely. He nuzzled the alpha’s neck and peppered Levi’s face in grateful kisses. He was just so happy, so thankful, so overflowing with emotion.

Levi stumbled over his tongue, his face felt blazing hot as if he had stood in the sun too long, and he tried to grab Eren but he couldn’t tell if he was pushing the woman away or pulling her closer.

“M-madam! W-what are you… I-I mean-if you would… This is grossly inappro-” He growled and grabbed her firmly by the shoulders. “EREN!”

Eren froze. Her eyes widened and cheeks flushed to mirror Levi’s. Her mouth gaped and Levi was suddenly filled with the desire to kiss those thin, cheery chapped lips. His fingers dug into her biceps and he felt lean, but firm, muscle beneath the thick cloth of her dress. His loins swelled in response and Levi quickly shoved Eren off him.

“S-sorry,” Eren murmured. She looked anywhere but at him as she stood and brushed off her calico skirts. Then she paused, sniffed, her brows rose and she sniffed again, before her eyes slowly slid to Levi’s arousal.

“Have you no manners?!” Levi bristled and hurried to stand—far less elegantly than Eren had.

“You’re the one getting all hot and bothered in the middle of the forest!” Eren defended. “And it’s not my fault I can smell it.”

“For fuck sakes!” Levi turned from her. “What the hell are you, anyway?”

“I’m a wolf,” Eren said proudly, puffing out her flat chest.

“Obviously,” Levi snapped, “but last I checked, wolves didn’t transform into beautiful women.”

Eren opened his mouth to argue, but choaked on his words. He blinked, closed his mouth, and settled on just standing there.

Levi turned around and snapped at him, “What? No explanation for that?”

“You think I’m beautiful?” Eren blurted.

Levi flushed and his mouth gaped, opening and closing like a fish, then he cleared his throat and turned around, his face hotter than the sun. “We should be heading back. Which way?”

A slow, shy smile spread across Eren’s lips. No one had ever thought him beautiful or any of its synonyms. He had never really been on the receiving end of a compliment other than Mikasa occasionally calling him a ‘good omega.’ Moving to stand near the alpha, but not touching him, Eren said, “The Ashen Mound is this way.”

“And from there, the castle?”

Eren nodded as they made their way through the forest. Neither one moved particularly briskly, what with Eren still heat-sore and Levi’s leg. The sun had set now, but it was not dark. The sky was clear, and the moon was still bright—it had been full only been a few nights ago. With the danger gone, life returned to the forest. The crickets sung and the fireflies buzzed with their glowing backsides illuminating the way. In the distance an owl awoke with a soft hoot.

Mikasa watched from afar as the two made their way along the deer path. They were too close for her liking. This was dangerous. The last to court her brother nearly killed him. Back then, Eren had been but a pup, pleased that one of his own wasn’t cursing him for being a male omega. He had followed that young alpha with blinded awe in his eyes—right over the wall.

The rescue had been a brutal affair, taking the lives of both her parents, and Eren had almost added to that tragedy. He had been brought back a ghost of himself—translucent, unconscious, and barely breathing. Laird Grisha had rushed Eren to the Nexus and returned empty handed.

For three months they all waited with bated breath and when Eren finally emerged from the Nexus’ cavern, he hardly remembered a thing. He was different too. On the outside he was still the same obnoxious pup, but something inside him had shifted, changed. At times there was an ethereal, otherworldly quality to Eren. A power had awoken inside of him and it frightened Mikasa. She was afraid to see what would become of him if the Nexus had to save him again.

Mikasa was pulled from her thoughts by a soft bump to her shoulder.

“You worry too much,” Sasha said and offered the ceasg a bit of bread. “Have a bite to eat, it’ll make you feel better.”

“No, thank you.” Mikasa shook her head and with another glance at the two slowly making their way through the forest, turned, and set off for another body.

“He doesn’t smell aggressive,” Sasha said, following in step.

“I still don’t trust him.”

“Neither do I,” Connie said as he came over with a body tossed over his shoulder. “He seemed so weak earlier. How’d he kill an entire pack on his own?”

“Not the entire pack,” Mikasa corrected.

“Most of it.”

“You two are missing the point,” Sasha interrupted, only to get double the glare aimed at her. She sighed and rolled her eyes. “You never lived with a pack before, Connie, so I understand why you’re daft, but Mikasa should know better—the only thing harder than being accepted as a coyote, is being accepted as a _male_ omega, especially one who takes no interest in females.”

Mikasa blinked at that. “I beg your pardon?”

“Are you saying Eren fancies men?” Connie asked, shocked.

“You’re both utterly hopeless,” she breathed with a roll of her eyes and walked off to collect another dead wolf. She knew that ceasg noses were worse than human ones, but apparently Connie hadn’t inherited a keen nose either—and the pair of them were obviously bad at reading body language. Eren and Lord Ackerman were so acutely in sync that Sasha had smelled their scents reacting to each other upon their very first meeting in front of the castle. She didn’t know what had transpired between them since then, but she could already tell that a faint bond had formed between them, linking Laird Jaeger and Lord Ackerman together. She wished upon the moon that it would grow into a strong, healthy bond. Her omega deserved that much, at the very least.

They were halfway to the Ashen Mound when Eren finally spoke in a soft, timid whisper, “I know your leg pains you, but I’d like you to stay for the ceremony.”

“Ceremony?” Levi replied just as quietly.

There was an intimate air between them, not sexual, but a closeness as if they were the only two there, though Mikasa, Connie, and Sasha could be seen not far off. It was comfortable and seemed almost natural, as if this was the way it should be, two sides of the same coin that had never met but somehow found themselves together.

Again, Eren nodded and leaned closer. Though still not touching, his skirts brushed against Levi’s leg as they walked. “To return the fallen to the earth and give them peace within the Nexus.”

“The Nexus? What’s that?”

Eren bit his lip and tried to think of how to answer diplomatically as he once again stood straight. “It’s the reason the others will want to claim this land and why the Jaegers have given their lives defending it.”

“But what is it?”

“A lot of things,” Eren said as his eyes rose to the moon. He loved the feeling of its light on his skin, more so than the heat of the sun, which he was also quite fond of. “It depends on who you ask.”

Levi stopped. He took in the sight of the wolf basking in the moonlight, she practically glowed. Levi had never seen anything more beautiful. “What’s it to you?”

Eren’s steps slowed and she turned to him, her teal eyes flecked with shimmering gold. She looked at him for a thoughtful moment and then frowned and adverted her eyes.

“The truth, please,” Levi gently asked. He wanted to help—he wanted to help _her_ —but he needed answers.

Eren took a deep breath and sighed heavily as she sat down on an overturned tree. Levi took up the spot next to her, his body grateful for the lack of pressure on his leg. It was terribly sore and likely couldn’t take much more.

Looking down at her nails, Eren whispered, “My life. I am not just a Jaeger, I am not just a wolf, but one chosen by the Nexus at birth to defend it, commune with it, care for it.” She looked up at Levi, her eyes brimming with tears. “But my connection with the Nexus is unusually strong. I cannot leave Ackermanshire, it would be the equivalent of tearing me in half—a wound I would not be able to survive. I must stay within range of the Nexus.”

A heaviness settled deep within Levi. A world without Eren? He could not imagine it. Last night had changed something in him. They had spoken a little, had come to an understanding and an agreement. She was still so much of a mystery to him, one he greatly wished to uncover— _one he needed to understand_. He needed to know her more than he had ever needed anything in life.

“How is your connection unusual?” he asked with all seriousness.

Eren smiled wearily. “You’re taking this rather well for a human.”

“I’ve seen a number of unexplainable things during the war, things that seemed unnatural. I wasn’t allowed to ask questions then, so I’ll take my fill of them now and digest things in my own time later.”

“So, you won’t be having a moment of perturbation?”

Levi chuckled softly at that. “No. There will be no need to take me to Bedlam.” He looked up at her. “I promised I would help you, and I will, but right now I would very much appreciate some answers. How is your connection with this Nexus thing unusual?”

Eren bit her lip. “Previous Keys—that’s what we chosen are called—had the knowledge and memories of past Keys, as I do, but that was basically it. Though, in a pinch, they could borrow power from the Nexus in order to defend the land. Most were seen as keepers and wise women, teachers to their generation of Jaegers.

‘But my connection is stronger. I can always feel the Nexus as if it was a part of me and I it. Its power is mine, as if it is me and I am it.”

Levi frowned at that. “Do you know why that is? Why you’re different?”

Eren shook her head. “Speculation, mostly. My father fancied himself a scientist and Armin believes he may have done something to my mother when she conceived me. I was the only pup she was able to have, though she was perfectly fit. The problem, however, is that my father’s journals were destroyed in the fire.”

“The one my great grandfather set?”

Eren’s brows rose. “I didn’t know you knew about that.”

“Miss Mikasa informed me when I arrived,” Levi said wirily.

“Oh.” Eren frowned. “Sorry.”

“No need,” Levi dismissed. “He was a bastard. I’m surprised you all didn’t revolt.”

“And possibly bring the wrath of you humans down on us?” Eren shook her head. “We only survived Sina’s invasion the first time because of the pact with your ancestors. The wild kin may be more powerful, but you humans are tricky and numerous.”

“The wild kin? So that’s really what you call yourselves?”

Eren shrugged. “It was a term coined by humans, but we made it our own and united under it. We don’t actually refer to each other as that though.”

Levi looked out at the others, who carried the invaders bodies through the forest. “What do you call yourselves?”

“We call each other what we are. The Jaegers are wolves. Armin is a druid, Mikasa a ceasg, and Annie a witch—though, I call her a cat because she likes turning into one. Finds people’s expectations lower when she’s in that form—no one asks a cat to do anything.”

Levi gave a laughing huff. “I suppose not. And what of Miss Blouse and Mr Springer?”

“Coyotes,” Eren said softly.

Levi could sense a great sadness in Eren and he bit his lip, wondering if he should ask anything further, but Eren saved him the worry.

“They’re a type of half-breed: half-wolf, half-human,” she said, her voice an emotionless neutral. “Our species are just compatible enough to—on the rare chance—breed, but not enough to form a familiar lineage. All coyotes are barren.”

A heavy weight dropped in the pit of Levi’s stomach. He watched Mr Springer and Miss Blouse move easily through the forest, carrying bodies and chatting amiably between each other and Miss Mikasa. They were both so young, both so full of youth and life, yet this was all there was for them. They would both be hard pressed to find someone willing to join them in a fruitless marriage.

Levi’s mind drifted back to the other night and the conversation he overheard. Why was the priest so convinced that Eren and he would be compatible if they were human and wolf? Wouldn’t it be the opposite? Levi’s eyes drifted to the woman next to him as she focused on those before them. Armin had said something about Eren calling him ‘alpha,’ but what did that mean? What was the significance of the term?

“We should keep moving,” Eren said abruptly and stood. “They’ve nearly collected all of the fallen.”

“Of course,” was all Levi said as he too rose and walked beside Eren.

The mood had shifted now, and he no longer felt at ease to question the wolf further. The quiet sadness that had filled Eren had brought no separation between them, but Levi felt compelled to give the wolf her space. The topic had become too deep, too bitter, and it needed time to settle and dissipate a little before he could obtain more information.

Besides, he too needed time to adjust to this new world that surrounded him. When he had first arrived a few days ago, he had sensed that things were different here, but he had thought it was merely cultural—the people of Ackermanshire were of Sina, but they were still northerners. He had been warned of their odd ways and traditions, but he had never expected this. It was true that he had seen odd things on the battlefield—strange eyes and men who appeared to do superhuman things—but he had never thought them as not human.

But that was what struck him the most: no one in Ackermanshire seemed inhuman to him, but they weren’t humans, were they? What then did it mean to be human? Levi couldn’t wrap his mind around it. Eren was the most vibrantly alive creature he had ever met—he had witnessed her tears, her anger, her laughter, and her smiles. She was guarded and thoughtful, but also open to his help. She was more human to him than any war-damaged soldier he had ever met; yet, she was a wolf. Eren was not human. Levi sighed and pushed the swirling thoughts aside.

As they reached the Ashen Mound, the forest quieted and opened in a large circle. Around the perimeter stood large, primitive, stone pillars and four archways—one arch for each cardinal direction. The stones had been carved into with a mixture of ancient letters and what appeared to be dates. Levi paused to look at one pillar as they passed it. If he was reading it correctly, this particular stone had been carved into hundreds of years ago.

“A memorial to all those who have died here and returned to the Nexus,” Eren said as she stopped beside him.

Levi looked around. Most of the pillars had been filled. So many deaths. How many had been Jaegers? How many had been at the hands of the Ackermans? He ran his finger over a carving that was so weathered he could hardly read it. Who was this? How had they died? Did they live peacefully or had they been slaughtered liked Eren’s family had?

Eren plopped her chin on his shoulder. “I can tell that you’re thinking too much. Some things just are, let them be.”

“How old were you when you carved your family’s names into these stones?” Levi asked, his voice hardening against the knot forming in his throat.

“Not that young,” Eren said and nuzzled her nose soothingly against his neck before moving further into the circle. “About twelve or so, I think. Old enough to understand.” Eren looked over her shoulder at him. “How old were you when you first saw death?”

Levi clenched his teeth. “Five.”

Eren returned to Levi and placed his forehead against the human alpha’s. Five was far too young. It explained so much. No one should see death so young. It had been hard enough when he was twelve, he couldn’t imagine what it would be like at five. Had Levi even been old enough to understand? Had anyone been there for him to explain and comfort him? Eren had a feeling the answer was no. He, at the very least, had had Mikasa and Armin. Who did Levi have?

They stood like that for a moment, and Eren let his omega scent soak into Levi. He wasn’t sure if Levi could even smell it, since human noses were dull by comparison, but the alpha in Levi seemed to respond as he slowly relaxed. It was odd how like an alpha wolf Levi was, but also how un-alpha he was as well. Levi was obviously strong and smart, a natural born leader who, if he had been born a wolf, would have certainly led a mighty pack, but there was also a quiet kindness to him that Eren found endearing. Levi listened to him—to _him, a male omega!_ —but… Eren’s heart squeezed. What if that was only because Levi didn’t know?

Eren pulled away and walked to the center of the circle, where a massive hill had formed out of centuries of dirt and ash. The bodies had been laid out respectfully there, both those of the intruders and a murdered family. He could smell a mixture of their individual scents, though they were beginning to fade with the rot of death. The intruders were all wolves, mostly low-level alphas. Their leader was obviously the strongest, but he strangely did not smell like a pack alpha. Pack alphas usually carried a strong, powerful scent meant to deter others, especially other alphas, from challenging them.

He didn’t also see any tartan on them, which was odd. The large clans were extremely traditional and honour-bound; they took great pride in their colours and wielded them like a second skin. Even Eren’s well-worn working dress was in the Jaeger tartan of blue and white. It would be an act of grave disrespect for him to go without. So, they likely were not even a sub-clan to one of the larger ones.

A feral pack then? Perhaps created from misfit alphas that were no match for the clan alphas. That would also explain why they were so small. Eren thought of Levi—the human probably had not realized how lucky he was that they were not prime alphas, which had remained large over the centuries whilst the general size of other wolves had shrunken. Nibbling his bottom lip, Eren wondered how Levi would react to his true size.

Unfortunately, he could not gather anymore information than that from them—their scents and dress were otherwise from these parts. Eren turned to the family, where Levi was bent placing Charon’s obol upon their lips. He glanced at Sasha, Connie, and Mikasa, who stood on the outskirts of the circle. He could tell that the latter two were disgruntled by the action, but Sasha had come from a southern Rosenwald pack that had fled north to Sina to escape the war.

 _‘A tradition of Rosenwald,’_ Sasha explained through their connection as she gave Eren a small smile. _‘It is believed that the dead need to pay the Ferryman for safe passage into the afterlife. The sinful must swim through the River to pay for their sins.’_

Eren nodded in understanding and allowed Levi to continue. He still did not fully comprehend the belief, since he knew of no Ferryman or River, but he knew that Levi was not one of them, as a human and as a soldier, Levi had grown up in a different world—one with different beliefs, expectations, and traditions. For them to get along, they would have to respect each other’s differences—both the wild kin and Levi and the warriors he was bringing.

After paying his respects to the family, Levi made his way to the intruders and placed a coin on each of their mouths. He may have killed these men—these wolves—but he had learned long ago that just because a man may be your enemy, it does not mean that he is on the wrong side. War is a gray world, where the line between what is right and what is wrong is always in question. He sighed and reached into his pocket as he stood before the last man, the black wolf, but he came up empty handed.

“Will this do?”

Levi looked over at Eren, who held a copper pence.

“Thank you,” Levi said quietly. Taking the coin, he placed it on the dead man’s lips and quietly prayed that the soul found safe passage. This world was hell enough. The dead didn’t need more hardships. Standing, Levi said, “I wonder why they killed that family. Guess we’ll never know.”

“Because he mated with a human.”

Raising an eyebrow, Levi looked to Eren, who shrugged and returned to the family.

“He’s a wolf, beta by the smell,” Eren explained. “She’s human, though her scent is off. The children are human too, except these two.” Eren walked over to the oldest child and the infant. She pointed to the elder one. “This one’s a coyote, but the pup is a wolf.”

“I thought humans and wolves could only produce coyotes?” Levi asked, walking over.

Eren nodded. “I’ve never heard anything like this. Most packs abandon or kill coyote pups. It’s likely why they were murdered. Judging by what’s left of their clothes and lack of tartan, they’re from the south. Rosenwald, perhaps?”

“Farther than that. They look like Roma given the colourful scarves. I’d say Eldia.”

“So far?” Eren’s head snapped up. Eldia was practically on the other side of the continent.

Levi nodded and looked between the two groups. “You think it was a matter of happenstance? The intruders look like Sinans. Did they just happen to cross paths? But why would the family come so far north? Even if they were refugees, they could have just stopped anywhere in Sina with the war over.”

“Because they weren’t refugees of the war, but of prejudice. It has long been known that the Jaegers are friendly to half-breeds.” Eren frowned and knelt before the children. She gently ran her long fingers through the infant’s tuff of hair. “I wish they had made it. I would have liked to know if this pup was theirs or an orphan they happened upon along the way.”

Levi didn’t know what to say to that, so he said nothing at all. He had grown up expecting to die in battle. He had never considered having a family of his own and didn’t particularly have a good opinion of the one that had gifted him to the army either.

Abruptly standing, Eren said, “I need to begin the ceremony. You need to be outside of the circle.”

The desire to pull her into a hug yanked at Levi, but he stood unmoving as he watched her guards harden around her. Eren stood tall before him in the moonlight, but he could somehow sense a bone-deep pain within her. Because of the infant? Because it could possibly be theirs? But it was a wolf, so that meant it couldn’t, right? Questions swarmed in his mind and filtered into his mouth, but when they were on the tip of his tongue, Levi forced himself to move, to walk away.

Reaching the tree line, Levi leaned against a large, sturdy trunk, subtly relieving some of the pressure on his leg. The damned thing hurt like a son of bitch, but he wasn’t about to show it with the glaring eyes of his butler on him. Miss Mikasa stood several trees away with the other two, along with three horses—including the brute Springer had introduced as Eren’s. Thankfully, she made no move to voice her displeasure with Levi being here, though the look was obvious enough. 

Levi ignored her and kept his eyes on Eren. With the moon bright and high in the sky, the wolf could clearly be seen standing atop of the hill, surrounded by nineteen bodies. He watched as Eren began to speak, but he was too far to hear her words. As she spoke, her eyes began to glow, but not the golden he had seen before. This time they remained that mesmerizing teal colour, but held a burning, inner light within them, like that of the moon or sun. Kneeling, Eren touched the forehead of the infant and it burst into a blue-green flame.

_Glaonn an ghealach ort_ _._

Levi winced as a voice shot through his mind. He closed his eyes to a blurred image of a dark-haired woman hovering above him, but he didn’t recognize her. She smiled and an airy laugh rung in his ears.

“Are you okay?”

“Lord Ackerman?”

The image dissipated as Levi shook his head clear and he once again saw Eren, who had moved clockwise as she set each body ablaze with that strange blue-green fire. He blinked and realized the two coyotes had approached him; Miss Mikasa hovered in the distance.

“I’m fine,” he dismissed, though Miss Blouse’s eyes were wide and filled with worry.

Stepping closer, Miss Blouse asked, “Would you like us to explain the ritual?”

His eyes flickered between Eren, the coyotes, and back. He really had no idea what was going on or how Eren was able to set people aflame, but the ethereal glow she held was enchanting. It pulled at him. It was like watching a sacred goddess move about the earth. The plebian world paled in comparison to her. Levi shook his head. He needed no explanation to understand that he was witnessing a divinity that was likely beyond his comprehension.

As Eren set each body ablaze, the flames grew and encircled her. She then began to dance within the flames, her body fluid and sensual as it twisted and controlled the flames that swirled and rose, reaching high into the night sky. The fire devoured the bodies, turning mortal flesh into glowing ember and ash. From the ash orbs of turquoise light rose. They hovered in the flames and then drifted toward Eren’s dancing form.

As the first orb brushed against Eren’s skin and then sunk into her body, pain shot through Levi’s head and he fell to his knee with a gasp. An image of crimson snow flashed before him. He blinked and blurrily saw Miss Blouse, but the brief relief was drowned out by another vague image of a strange festival and more pain. He squeezed his eyes shut. The images came quicker and quicker, until he could not comprehend them. All he knew was that they were not his to see and the pain of forbidden knowledge.

Levi forced his eyes open and his vision was engulfed with glowing teal eyes. A pained whimper slipped from his lips and his body gave out, surrendering to the darkness of nothingness.

_Is í an Mháthair Mhór a roghnaigh thú._


	11. Trifold Path

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by [Purple_Rayne17](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purple_Rayne17).

Eren began the ceremony as he always did. He called upon the Nexus, connected with it—with the Great Mother. He took a deep breath, as if it was the first one he’d had since he last connected. It was like his shackles had been removed and he was free—whole again now that he and the Nexus were one. His power welled up inside, his blood heated, and his senses sizzled with a clarity he only found when released.

He could hear and see and taste and feel everything that was happening in Ackermanshire right this very moment. He was All Knowing. Yet, it was not overbearing, as it had been for the other Keys. It was more like a gentle awareness in the back of his mind rather than an overbearing takeover of his faculties. It was like being in a room full of people, aware of them and what they were doing or saying, but not necessarily cognizant of everyone.

He knew all, but everything was a passing murmur of a thought unless his instincts deemed otherwise—everything accept the presence on the outskirts of the stone circle. Levi was like a blazing, cold fire licking at his over-heated skin. It was a soothing balm to the intense power burning through him. He could sense the alpha more acutely than before, and it pulled at him more strongly than the lust during his heat, but it did not command him to come. It stayed on the outskirts, watchful and ever present.

Eren went about the ritual, setting each body aflame, turning the mortal flesh to ash and releasing the shattered souls. He danced in the fire they created, calling the soul shards to him. They rose into the air like shimmering stars and entered his body, telling their stories as their memories flooded into his mind. He did his best to sooth them, to let them know that it was okay, there was nothing to fear. Soon he would unite them with the Great Mother and when they were ready, they would be reborn from the earth.

As the last shard absorbed into Eren’s flesh a harsh pain shot through his mind and his head immediately snapped to the alpha. He met with that steady steel gaze, nearly silver in the moonlight. He felt something shift in the air between them, something deep and powerful. It crackled. It sizzled against his skin and then Eren’s eyes widened as Levi’s darkened and the alpha released a weak whimper. Instinct took over and he raced down the hill.

“Lord Ackerman!” Sasha called out as Levi’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and his body gave out. Eren’s arms wrapped around him, softening the blow as they fell to the ground. Levi was shivering, his body cold, yet his brow was drenched in sweat.

“What’s wrong?” “What happened?” Eren could hear his pack’s questions, but he could not comprehend who spoke, all of his attention was on the alpha in his arms. Levi was paler than normal, the sweat on his skin shimmering in the moonlight and the glow of the fire, and his face was clenched in pain. Eren had no memory of anyone reacting to the ceremony, he didn’t know what was happening, but he instinctively knew what he had to do.

Standing, Eren easily lifted Levi up and gave a sharp whistle. Titan was before him in seconds. Without any orders, Sasha and Connie were beside him, helping him get Levi on the massive horse. Eren climbed behind him immediately after.

“Where are you going?” Mikasa asked, stepping forward and grabbing Titan’s reins.

“The Nexus,” was all he answered, yanking the strap from her hands. Instinct told him that time was essential, he didn’t have any for his sister’s overprotective nonsense.

“You can’t be serious! Eren, you know how dange-”

“SILENCE!” Eren snarled, his eyes flaring a dangerous mixture of glowing teal and gold that had Mikasa flinching back. “Return to the castle, all of you.”

Without another word he gave Titan’s side a sharp heel and the horse raced down the path. The trees and underbrush twisted and bent out of his way, giving him a straighter course. It took only a few minutes to leave the forest behind and race through the grassy valley. Levi nuzzled his face against Eren’s collarbone as the alpha released another soft whimper, scent filled with the acidity of pained distress. He could feel Levi’s erratic heartbeat against his own ribcage. What in the name of the moon had happened? The Keys had given him no knowledge of anyone ever being affected by the Ashen ceremony.

Bypassing the castle, Eren led Titan through another section of forest, he tore across the river, and then ushered the horse up the mountain. The ground smoothed out for them, creating a traversable path for Titan to race to the hidden cavern. Halfway up the mountain, Titan came to a sliding halt in front of a broken archway, built into the mountain side.

“Give me entrance!” Eren commanded with a low snarl, his worry and impatience evident. The rock in the centre of the archway cracked and then the mountain seemed to groan as the archway opened up. Titan needed no direction as the horse charged forward into the darkness of the mountain.

Once passed the archway, it closed securely behind them. Eren reached out and released a small sphere of light, like a miniature moon, that led the way forward, through the labyrinth of long-forgotten dwarven corridors. Eren paid little mind to the centuries-old stone-and-knotwork as Titan sped through the twisting passages, leapt down stairways, and raced deeper into the very bowels of the mountain.

Eventually, all signs of ancient civilization faded away into natural tunnels pierced with stalagmites. Eren pulled Levi closer as the temperature dropped and the alpha whimpered against his throat. He could still feel Levi’s erratic heartbeat and the alpha shivered against him. Eren didn’t understand it. What had happened? Why had Levi been so painfully affected by the ceremony?

As the air turned moist and warm, Eren slowed Titan to a trot and then stopped the horse near a large hot spring. Not bothering to tie Titan off, Eren slid from the horse, taking Levi with him, and then quickly carried the alpha to the water. He didn’t bother with their clothes as he wadded into the spring.

“Please, Great Mother,” Eren whispered, “help him.”

The water did not stir. He didn’t understand. The light of the Nexus buried deep below the spring was dim and unchanging. Why did it not respond? Why did the Great Mother ignore his plea? He instinctively knew, with every fiber of his being, that Levi had to come here, but why was nothing happening?

Levi gave a soft, muted whimper and then went slack in Eren’s arms.

“DON’T LEAVE ME!” Eren commanded, tears clouding his eyes as they became a swirl of golden turquoise.

The water began to glow and bubble, swirling around them as Eren held Levi out, holding him just barely above the surface.

“Don’t you dare, you damned alpha,” Eren growled. “You made a promise to me.”

Levi whimpered.

“Open your eyes. Stay with me.”

Levi’s long lashes fluttered lethargically open and Eren was met with a pair of glowing twin moons. He immediately understood what swirled behind those silver eyes, but he didn’t know how it was possible. Levi wasn’t an omega, he wasn’t a Jaeger or even a wolf, he wasn’t a Key. Levi whimpered again as the foreign memories pained his untrained mind.

“Shh, shh, it’s all right,” Eren cooed. “I’m here. I’ll help you.” He moved a hand to soothingly rub the alpha’s temple whilst still supporting Levi with the other. “Just relax, alpha, I have you.”

When he pulled his finger from Levi’s temple, a wispy, silvery strand followed. Levi tensed, his face scrunching in pain.

“Shh, don’t fight it. Let them go,” he soothed and nuzzled the tip of his nose against the alpha’s cheek. Levi relaxed at the touch and the dead’s memories left him more freely, spilling into the warm water.

“Good alpha, such a good alpha,” Eren murmured as he too released the soul shards. The little lights seeped from his skin the same way they had seeped into it. They floated in the water, a shimmering night sky in the depths of the spring.

If Eren had the mind, he would have taken in the ethereal beauty of the waters, but his entire focus was on Levi. The silver glow had dimmed from his eyes and returned to a soft, gunmetal gray, but Eren could make out flecks of blue in those tired, unfocused eyes. He smiled softly down at the man in his arms, once again relieved that Levi was all right.

“E-eren…?” Levi barely managed to murmur, exhaustion clearly evident.

“I’m here,” Eren said. “You were such a good alpha. You did so well. Now, get some sleep. Alpha has earned it.”

Levi crooned softly at the praise and his eyes fluttered closed. Eren moved them to the edge of the hot spring and sat upon a soft rock. He positioned the other man on his lap, Levi’s nose immediately finding the crook of Eren’s neck. He smiled at that and gently ran his fingers along the side of the alpha’s angular face, brushing away a stray bead of silvery memory from Levi’s temple.

They wouldn’t leave the waters just yet, he wanted to make sure that all of the foreign memories had left Levi’s mind. So, they sat shoulder deep in the hot spring, fully clothed, as Eren purred soothingly to the alpha in his arms and watched the shimmering souls and swirling memories float in the water until they gradually disappeared into the depths of the Nexus.

_Levi’s arm dropped, the signal made. The horses charged the makeshift city gates as the cannons tore down the wall. He pushed aside his guilt. It didn’t matter that this was a refugee camp. The enemy had infiltrated it and the order had been made. He would do as General Erwin willed._

_Gunfire sliced through his men, the enemy retaliating as they entered the city. As the comrade beside him was ripped from their horse, Levi leapt from his. He used his maneuver gear and the city buildings to fly through the crumbling debris. The thick cords shooting from the contraption fixed to his back pulled him forward faster than his horse could carry him in a torn-up, urban battlefield. It would be a freeing experience, if it wasn’t stained with the stench of death._

_Levi bypassed the ruined homes and crumbling buildings. He ignored the innocent cries and pleas for help, the angry shouts of ‘why?’ and damnation. This was a war and he was a dog of the military. There was no room for heroes. There was only one reason they had sent him and his squad. He knew his orders, he knew where he had to go, so he did._

_As the target location came into view, Levi stopped on top of a building in front of the enemy’s headquarters. His squad surrounded him not a second later. He didn’t look at them, he didn’t need to. They all knew what to do. He raised his swords, preparing to jump, a low whistle caught his attention._

_“DISPERSE!” Levi shouted, but it had not been quick enough. The rouge cannon ball bulldozed through their building and Levi was tossed into the air like a ragdoll. He saw the sky. It was so blue. How could the sky be so blue when the world below was naught but a blood-coated hellscape?_

_Pain shot through his right side as the sky began to drift away and Levi expected more pain to follow, for his body to splatter across the ground, and this damned life to finally be over, but instead he was jerked to the side and the world was whizzing passed him. He felt warm and he felt cold, and he could smell that daisy scented piss-water that that fiery, little nurse always wore._

_“Tch,” Levi snorted. “Goddamnit, Farlan,” he murmured against his friend’s shoulder before promptly passing out._

_Levi awoke to the irregular sound of dripping. It annoyed him. Opening his eyes to glare at the source, Levi found himself in what was likely an underground chamber, dimly lit and dreadfully dank. There was a small, crackling fire for light and he was fairly certain his bed was naught but a thin, tattered blanket._

_He couldn’t find the source of that untimed dripping, nor did he see Farlan as his glare settled on the woman sat beside him. She didn’t fit the scene, she was too clean, too well dressed. She smiled down at him, her features petit and delicate._

_“Who’re you?” he croaked, his voice parched._

_“Have you found your way home?” she asked in a soft, nearly fragile sounding voice._

_Levi’s brow crinkled, but before he could say anything, a door opened on the other side of the room. He turned to see Farlan entering._

_“Oh, thank god, you’re awake,” Farlan said. “I was starting to think I’d have to take back a corpse.”_

_Ignoring Farlan, Levi turned back to the woman, but she was gone, as was the rest of the room. Before him was another city, another battle being played out. Men called out, children cried, and women screamed. He rolled onto his side, feeling the now familiar pain in his leg, and then pushed himself to his feet. Cannons flew overhead, shattering the livelihoods of people who never asked for this, people who never asked to be torn apart by a war that no one truly understood anymore._

_He limped forward, pulled by a need to be somewhere, but he didn’t know where. He was dirty and covered in blood, his body sore and so damned tired. He was moving on the singular will to be_ there _—wherever there was. Soldiers flew by him on maneuver gear and bullets whizzed by, but somehow never hit him, no one took notice of him as he shuffled through the crumbling city._

_Coming to an intersection, the world became deafeningly quiet. He could no longer hear the sounds of humanity, the harsh destruction of cannons, or the sharp whistle of bullets. Levi looked to his left first and saw only a world of war, death, and blood. Before him the road stretched out into the horizon, into an empty nothingness where sky met ground. To the right Levi saw a glistening river that weaved through a tall forest. Eren sat upon a rock, a chirping bundle in her arms and two dark-haired toddlers playing at the edge of the water. Levi turned back to the other two paths._

_“Don’t you dare, you damned alpha,” Eren growled._

_He looked back to her and she staired fiercely back._

_“You made a promise to me.”_

_Levi turned to face her fully._

_“Open your eyes. Stay with me.”_

Levi awoke slowly. For once, he was warm and really quite comfortable. He could hear a steady thumping, like the ticking of a clock, but softer, more comforting, mixed with a strange, yet soothing sound, that reminded him of a cat’s purr. He sighed happily, content to remain as he was with his eyes closed. Then he felt the gentle caress of something down the side of his face and sprung to his feet—or attempted too, but there was something wrong, it was hard to move, and then he was engulfed with wet heat. He couldn’t breathe. The world around him was shimmering and blurry.

Strong hands wrapped around his arms and yanked him upwards. Levi gasped as he surfaced. Oxygen burned his lungs, and then he spluttered as he collided with smooth stone.

“Levi?” A rough voice, choked with worry. “Levi, are you okay?”

“E-eren?” Levi rasped, his throat sore as he coughed up more water. He blinked, trying to take in the dim world around him, but his eyes immediately honed in on those wide, teal orbs hovering above him.

“I’m here,” Eren said and Levi felt warm fingers brush hair from his face.

Levi blinked again, clearing his vision as a dripping wet Eren came into view, backdropped by a dimly lit cavern. He couldn’t look away—Eren was all he could see, soft and warm, a beautiful creation of coppery hair and tan skin, with mesmerizing green eyes. So beautiful, so pretty, such a… The word he was searching for hovered in his mind, unknown, just beyond his reach.

Lifting his hand, Levi’s calloused fingers brushed against the smooth, tanned skin of Eren’s jawline. The skin was warm and soft like downy fur. His fingers moved so slowly upwards as if memorizing the arch of the line, and he could feel her shiver as she nuzzled his palm.

He felt the corner of her lips brush against his skin— _Mine!_ The word seared through his brain, possessive and fierce, and his fingers moved into her hair. The damp strands tangled around his fingers and he pulled her closer. Her breath brushed against his lips. They were so close now and Levi could smell her, could practically taste Eren’s scent—so deliciously sweat, but also spicy and earthy, like a rare, exotic chocolate that had been blended with spices and smoked over maple. He wanted to devour it, to devour her.

His eyes flickered to her lips. They were parted and he watched as her little, pink tongue darted out, wetting the chapped skin. A deep sound rumbled in his chest.

“A-alpha?” Eren stuttered in a breathy whisper.

Levi mentally preened at that sound. He wanted more of it, he wanted all of it—all of Eren’s sounds, all of Eren.

A harsh clap had Levi rolling, pulling Eren behind him as he released a warning growl. But there was nothing to see in the dimly lit cave, save Titan who was stood near a stalagmite several feet away. His body remained tense, however, poised for attack. He took in the cavern, his eyes searching for a potential threat. There were too many shadows in the dim, flickering light, which appeared to come from the steaming pool of water behind them, as well as a bioluminescent algae that grew on the various stalagmites and stalactites.

“Shh, alpha, it’s all right. It was just Titan. We’re safe here,” Eren whispered gently in his ear as warm arms wrapped around him.

He was still very much aware of Eren, her scent clinging to his skin, even as it subtly changed. It still smelled like her, but it was softer now, like a soothing lavender wood. He relaxed back into her embrace, his head turning in search of that scent. It was strongest on the side of her throat, and he found himself resting his nose there, taking in that scent with each breath. Eren’s long, thin hands rubbed his sides in slow, soothing strokes. The gentle touch combined with her scent had him drifting back to sleep, and this time it was dreamless.

Eren relished the feeling of the alpha’s body pressed against his own. Levi’s natural body temperature was cool compared to a wolf’s, but Eren could still feel the heat of the man, and instinct made him hate the layers that separated them. He had keenly felt the alpha’s call and his body had easily responded. If not for Titan stomping his hoof, Eren might have revealed too much.

Levi had only just found out about the wild kin and had seemed to be accepting the whole ordeal fairly well, but that did not mean he would accept Eren. Even his own kind only begrudgedly accepted male omegas, provided they lived through childbirth and produced strong, healthy pups. But that wasn’t the only problem—Levi was human, part of a beta species that only had male and female. Since humans did not have male omegas that reproduced, homosexual relationships were strictly taboo for them. Levi would never accept him if he knew the truth.

Tears prickled at Eren’s eyes and he shook them away, pushing down at the keening wail that welled up inside of him. That did not matter, none of it mattered because Levi was not his alpha— _could never be his alpha_. He could never mate a human; he could never condemn his unborn pups to a life as coyotes providing they even survived birth. Eren sighed. He was being a silly fool, still reeling from the aftereffects of an unsuccessful heat. He would be back to normal in a few days.

After gently setting Levi down in the adjacent chamber, Eren went about building a fire. Since the hot spring kept this part of the cave system moist, ancestral keys had taken it upon themselves to seal off the cavern next to the hot spring in order to keep it dry. It had been filled with a small amount of supplies, such as firewood and blankets. Once the fire was built, Eren laid out a blanket and moved Levi onto it. He stripped the alpha of his wet clothing and hung it to dry before taking the opportunity to inspect Levi’s leg. The nudity didn’t bother him much, very few wolves could transform fully clothed, and he had seen plenty of bodies as a healer. Though he refused to admit the tinge of disappointment when he realized Levi did not possess a knot. Human genitals were strange.

Inspecting the old wound, Eren noted the thick, raised scar on Levi’s upper, frontal right thigh, surrounded by a multitude of smaller scars that went from about mid-torso to just below his knee. It was an old scar and had clearly been a terrible injury considering the disfigurement of the area. There were even signs of the area having been burned, perhaps in a poor attempt to cauterize the wounds. A quiet whimper slipped through his lips at the thought of anyone doing such a thing to the alpha.

Running his hands over the old wound, Eren hoped the Nexus’s waters had been able to sooth it somehow, but in case it didn’t, he went about massaging the muscle and working out the tense knots he felt. He could feel the Nexus coursing through him as he worked and focused that energy into Levi’s leg. If there was any way he could help ease the alpha’s pain, he would. As he worked, some of the smaller scars faded away, but the main scar remained unchanged, even after an hour of slow, methodical ministrations.

Calling it for now, Eren lay another blanket over Levi and then stripped out of his own, still wet, clothes. He hung his garments up, and then returned to the main chamber and slipped into the hot spring. His skin still prickled from carrying the dead’s souls, on top of still being heat-sore, and the tension of the invasion. He didn’t know how long Levi would sleep for, but he wanted to take a few minutes to relax in the hot spring and properly reconnect with the Nexus. Taking a deep breath, Eren allowed himself to sink to the bottom and let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next posting date goal is on my profile. :]


	12. Truth in the Mists

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't supposed to go up until next week, but I kinda said 'fuck it' & decided to post it ^^; 
> 
> Beta'd by [Purple_Rayne17](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purple_Rayne17).

The soft pop of a fire roused Levi from his slumber. His eyes fluttered open, slowly and briefly, until he was greeted by the warmth and light of a small fire. He watched it flicker and crackle, a sense of contentment settling deep inside of him. He could still smell that wonderous scent, but it was softer now, gentler. Before it had consumed him, a hot spark burning through him, but now it was like the warm weight of a blanket after a bad dream, soothing and present, but not engulfing. It lulled him into security. He was safe here, safe and warm by the fire.

He tried to shift, to roll onto his side and face the fire, but there was a light pressure on his abdomen holding him in place. Levi looked down and found Eren. She was curled up beside him with her head on his chest, fast asleep. Without the distraction of her mesmerizing eyes, her features were soft, but not in a distinctively feminine way. Her cheekbones were high and there was a subtle sharpness to her jawline that was hidden behind the round fullness of youthful cheeks. She also had a long, angular nose that most would find more suitable on a man, but Levi found it endearing.

Too afraid to move and disturb the sleeping wolf, Levi was content to merely lay there, his eyes never lingering from Eren for long. It had not even been a full week since his arrival in Ackermanshire and already so much had happened, so much had changed. Everything was different. Yet, he found himself accepting it all as if it was the way it had always been, like a return to normalcy, one that he knew but didn’t know. It was a strange thought, but it didn’t feel strange, which in itself was strange.

Without realizing it, Levi found his fingers in Eren’s hair. The soft, coppery strands were damp as they slipped between his fingertips. The strangest thing out of this whole situation was how comfortable he felt with Eren. By nature and experience, Levi was not a particularly trusting man. He could count on less than half a hand the people he trusted completely: Erwin and Farlan. Yet, he found himself adding Eren to that list. He hardly knew her, and yet…

“Morning.” The word was spoken so softly, so quietly, and Levi found himself so captivated by flecks of green, teal, and blue that his musings drifted away. There were no thoughts, no social constructs or improprieties. There was only this moment, this breath of time and space, and the gap between gray skies and verdant seas. His hand moved on its own, pushing the other closer, and then skin brushed against skin, soft and warm, and Levi had never felt so right in his life.

A quiet sigh, an intake of breath, a fist in the woolen blanket between them, and then a sad whimper as Eren pulled away. Sitting up, her blanket pooled to her waist, revealing her worn chemise. The damp fabric clung to her exposing the severity of her flat chest and as Levi’s eyes drifted lower, following the odd darkening line down her belly, she pulled the blanket back up.

“You’re scent drunk,” she said dismissively.

Levi raised an eyebrow at that. “I’m what?”

Biting her bottom lip, Eren looked at the fire as she appeared to curl into herself. “Everyone admits a scent specific to them, but there are certain tells that are universal. An alpha will know when an omega is ripe and available for breeding, and if he likes the scent enough, he may indulge too much and become scent drunk.” Lowering her voice, Eren whispered as if ashamed, “I’m an omega.”

Sitting up, Levi reached over and gently turned Eren’s head with the tips of his fingers. The sight made his heart clench. Her expressive eyes were so sad and her bottom lip quivered. Gently, he whispered, “I’m not a wolf.”

Eren gave him a sad smile. “You smell like an alpha. The mist from the Nexus likely heightened your sense of smell. Instinct tells alphas to breed any available omega, and I’m unmated.”

“I’m not a wolf,” he repeated more firmly, yanking her head closer so that they were mere inches apart and eliciting a deliciously startled little gasp from her. He didn’t like what she was saying, writing off his feelings like they were some biological construct. He didn’t know why he had kissed her, why he was so compelled by her. It was bloody improper, but right now, looking at this broken, insecure woman, he really didn’t give a fuck about all of that. “I didn’t kiss you because of some damned scent.”

“Then why?” Eren asked brokenly, her eyes filling with unshed tears.

“You know why. You smelt it in the forest. Where was this apparent mist then?”

Eren’s eyes widened as he recalled the heavy scent of Levi’s arousal back in the forest. It had been a hardy, mouthwatering scent that made Eren quake with need. Sighing, Eren rested his forehead against Levi’s. His heart was thumping against his chest and he was desperate to feel the alpha’s lips on his again. He had never been kissed before, but the gentle pressure of Levi’s lips against his felt more like coming home than when he connected with the Nexus. He wanted it, he wanted Levi so badly, but he couldn’t.

“I…” Eren squeezed his eyes shut. It hurt to deny the alpha. “I c-can’t.”

He felt that gentle touch on the base of his skull, Levi’s strong fingers massaging the tension from that vulnerable area as the alpha asked, “Why?”

Opening his eyes, Eren was met with gunmetal orbs flecked with blue. They shimmered in the firelight, so alive, and they were looking straight at Eren—they were seeing _Eren_ , not some omega, not some weak object made for breeding, but Eren, and he felt such a pull from those eyes. He was exposed, visible, his weaknesses and regrets laid out to bare in front of those eyes, and he was not left feeling lacking.

Reaching up, he ran his fingers under those eyes. Levi didn’t even blink, he just kept waiting and seeing. The skin beneath the alpha’s eyes was darker, bruised from lack of sleep, but it was so soft and warm beneath Eren’s calloused fingertips—fingers that shouldn’t belong to an omega, the fingers of years of hardship and work. Omegas were supposed to be warm and nurturing, they were supposed to be submissive and tender, a gentle support to their strong, courageous alphas. He was none of those things. Even if Eren could bare the alpha pups, Levi deserved so much more than a poor excuse for an omega like him.

“Because you deserve a life that I cannot give you,” Eren said quietly.

Levi growled at that. “Isn’t that for me to decide?”

Leaning forward, Eren brushed his lips against Levi’s, just a faint, ghost of a moment, and then he forced himself to stand. With his back to Levi, he took a moment to collect himself, to wrap himself in the blanket. There was something about Levi that was pulling at him. It had given him a fierce yank when they first met, but after his heat it had been nothing more than a gentle tug. Now he felt it more strongly, like a string wrapped around his core, tying him to the alpha, barely long enough to stretch the distance and kept him aware of Levi, always aware.

He had no recollection of such a sensation from the other Keys and he honestly wasn’t sure what to do about it. But he was sure about one thing: they could not be together. This whole nonsense was probably due to the proximity to the Nexus anyway—a thought that hurt more than he wanted to admit—but it didn’t matter. He could not allow this to continue. Levi was human. Eren was a wolf and a male omega to boot. There was no future for them.

“If you’re feeling better then we should head back. I wish to speak to Armin about a few things.”

Levi looked up at the sound of such a guarded, emotionless voice. It was just like back at the Ashen Mound and when they had spoken of coyotes. His eyes drifted to her lower back, but he didn’t see that, instead he saw the flatness of her stomach. How foolish he was, how utterly careless and despicable. His moment of thoughtlessness had upset Eren…the omega…his omega.

His eyes widened as the words echoed in his mind. His omega. The concept was foreign—omega—but the possessiveness of it seemed so right, so natural. It was a thought that came slowly to him, like missing puzzle pieces slipping into place with each new piece of information, but when it did it was like seeing the sun for the first time in his thirty-six years of life.

My omega.

He nearly said it out loud. The words rolled about in his mouth, hot and fierce and true. There had never been anything truer in Levi’s life than that realization. Yet, he didn’t say them. Eren wasn’t ready to hear them and Levi wasn’t quite sure he was ready for the consequences of admitting them out loud. They needed more time, time to get to know each other, to understand each other, and to understand what this all was.

Eren heard the ruffling of the blankets before the echoing shout, “WHY THE BLOODY HELL AM I NAKED?”

Cheeks flushed red, he looked over his shoulder at the bare alpha hurrying to conceal himself with the blanket. “Your clothes were we-”

“Have you no manners!?” Levi growled. “Face the bloody wall, you chit.”

Stifling a giggle, Eren did as he was told. Humanity’s childish embarrassment about their own nudity was adorable. Behind him, he heard Levi move around as the alpha grumbled about the apparent impropriety of the situation and the _bloody audacity_. Eren rolled his eyes at that.

“Not all wolves can transform with clothes, you know,” Eren said matter-of-factly. “We’re not afraid of nudity.”

“I am not afraid!” Levi huffed. “I merely prefer being thoroughly covered.”

“Yet, you have no problem kissing me?” Eren said over his shoulder. “A vastly more intimate act, no?”

Levi gave him a flat look. The alpha was now wearing his trousers, his shirt was properly tucked in, and he was in the process of tying his cravat. “This and that are two completely different things. Nudity is outrageously improper. Only whores go gallivanting in-”

“So, you’re calling me a whore?” Eren snapped, his eyes flickering yellow.

Levi flushed. “No! Dear heavens, of course n-”

Eren boldly dropped the blanket, effectively silencing the human alpha. Immediately his nose was filled with the smell of Levi’s scent flaring with hungry heat. He felt those cool, blue steel eyes on his backside, fully aware that the material was worn thin enough for Levi to practically see everything. Eren was a wolf. He may be ashamed of his sex, but he wasn’t afraid of his body.

Sauntering over to his clothes, Eren kept himself angled so that Levi was never able to fully see his front. Slowly, he dressed, putting on each layer with unhurried movements. The last piece was the corset, which without the help of Mikasa, Annie, or Sasha, he was tempted to forgo, but then suddenly he was yanked back into a firm chest by the laces.

“For someone who says they can’t, you sure do an awful lot of teasing.” Levi’s voice was warm and husky on the back of his ear.

“I said wolves had no problem with nudity, not with freely touching what isn’t ours,” Eren replied, keeping his eyes trained forward. He felt the alpha’s breath along the side of his throat. Eren’s own breathing froze, and then the soft nip to the back of his neck nearly sent him to his knees.

“Is that so?” Levi hummed and then Eren squeaked as he was suddenly jerked backward as the alpha began lacing him into the corset. “Then why do you allow me to touch you?” Levi’s dexterous fingers quickly worked their way down. “Why do you touch me back?”

Eren wrapped his arms around himself, needing to hold onto something and unable to say anything. Wolves, by their very nature, were more physically affectionate than other species, but looking back that was hardly an excuse for his actions. Even wolves had boundaries, areas that were considered intimate. Packmates may touch each other’s backs, close family may nuzzle each other’s noses or cheeks, but the neck was an extremely sensitive and intimate area. He had been so rudely forward, detestably so. Eren gasped, his eyes welling up with tears. What a disgusting omega whore.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered and then pulled away. “We should go.”

Levi watched Eren quickly leave the cavern. He sighed, his hands falling to his sides. Damnit. Not a moment ago he had told himself to give Eren time and he went and buggered it all up. Why was he being this way? This wasn’t normal. Nothing with Eren was normal for him. He wasn’t a virgin by any means, but typically his dealings with women had been naught but business transactions. This was entirely out of his field of expertise and he had no idea why he was even attempting this dalliance. Eren wanted children, a family, things Levi hadn’t even thought of or was sure he could give, and yet he found his feet following after the woman.

Rounding the corner, Levi was hit with moist heat and that mouthwatering scent. He could feel his loins tighten, but he pushed the desire down. The way Eren had spoken of alphas and omegas left a bad taste in Levi’s mouth. It was as if wolves thought very little of omegas outside of breeding, and that was certainly not how Levi thought of Eren. The image of Eren holding a little bundle by the river flashed through his mind. Levi clicked his teeth and pushed forward. That had merely been a silly dream.

Eren could smell Levi before he heard the alpha’s purposeful strides. The alpha’s scent was fierce and untamed, there was an undertone of desire, but it was overshadowed by angry aggression. It was startling that Eren didn’t find himself submitting to the scent, bowing in fear of an angry alpha. Instead, he felt—Eren bit his bottom lip—safe. Calm. Taking a deep breath, he tried to push the security away. He couldn’t have this, it wasn’t right. It wasn’t his to have.

Marching right up to Eren, Levi grabbed her by the face and pulled her down so that they were eye to eye. He looked into those teal irises, red from crying. He would have none of this.

“You’ve nothing to be sorry for,” Levi said firmly. “Do you understand?”

“Bu-”

“No!” He growled. “You’ve done nothing wrong, Eren, nothing at all.”

Eren’s eyes filled with more tears and Levi gently brushed them away with his thumbs, hands still tenderly holding the wolf’s face. He had no knowledge about wolves or alphas or omegas. He did not know Eren’s past or why she was so brokenly insecure when it came to things such as this. The Eren at the castle had been so stubbornly independent and fierce. In the forest Levi had seen an Eren that was both strong and bashfully innocent. The one he had witnessed at the Ashen Mound had been otherworldly and powerful. Yet, this Eren…

“Just be you,” Levi said quietly. “I don’t care if it’s proper or not, just be yourself.”

Eren looked into those blue-gray orbs, lined with a silvery sheen. Just be himself? But, how could he? He was disguised as a woman, hiding his true gender, and spent nearly all of his time worry about everyone else. He didn’t even know who _he_ was. Who was Eren Jaeger? Housekeeper? Male Omega? Pack Leader? Laird Jaeger? Were those things who he truly was? He didn’t know.

Levi gave a gentle pat to his cheek and then ruffled his hair, as the alpha said, “Let’s go,” and then proceeded to climb up on Titan.

“Okay,” Eren said quietly and then got on behind him.


End file.
